Our Inner Demons
by justforfum
Summary: Hamel has been liberated by Ran's demonic army. But his defeat was only the tip of an enormous iceberg. Starving for food and desperate for help, Hamel's youngest ruler turns to the distant desert far to the north for help. But is he prepared for what awaits him in the vast oceans of sand? A sequel to The Heart of a Guardian.
1. Prologue

**A/N: If you're reading this and haven't read The Heart of a Guardian, I highly suggest you take a look at that story first. This is the sequel to the story and I guarantee those who haven't read the first part will get lost in the narration this story takes you through. A lot has happened that has changed the entire El Search Party and reading further without a clue of what's going will only make it more difficult for you as it progresses. If you _have_ read it before then welcome to the sequel! Hopefully it can live up to your expectations!**

* * *

 _Dearest Chung,_

 _It has been officially three weeks since we have left Hamel as of writing this letter. I am not familiar with the methods or schedule for postage being sent overseas so please forgive the rather unconventional method at which this letter reaches you._

 _The return voyage to Velder was quiet for everyone on board the ship. The animosity they hold towards you is clear in all of them, including the remainder of the El Search Party. Our friends are in strong disagreeance with you. The Half-Nasod believes you were acting irrationally. The elf feels that your decision will only make life difficult for your people. Elsword's sister stated her inability to forgive you for throwing all their sacrifices away. As for Elsword himself: he seldom spoke at all. I believe he is still in mourning for the loss of our dear friend. As for your strange visitor from the future, she has clearly been taking steps in avoid communicating with any members of the El Search Party, especially towards me. I am unable to discern why. So far it is only you and I that know of her true origins and it's strange that she is trying to avoid dialogue with me considering how alienated she obviously feels riding the ship back._

 _We have since separated upon arriving in Velder. I am safely back in my floating home of Altera and, thanks to the sheer amount of El shards I have accumulated during our campaign in Hamel, I have restarted the reconstruction effort of my kind from the ground up. I'll spare you the nuances of reconstructing an entire race but know that given the situation I am in, it will not be easy to say the least._

 _On the topic of my situation - more specifically the state of repairs for myself - I am strangely still unable to fix my voice module that was damaged during the temple of trials. It was frustrating, to say the least, trying to communicate with the others and I ultimately resorted to projecting text to the others if my input was necessary. Hopefully, with time, I can find a way to repair my ability to speak. Otherwise, I would be quite ashamed to have to resort to using text to speak to you when we next meet._

 _I hope to see you, again, soon._

 _Yours,_

 _Eve_

* * *

 _Dearest Chung,_

 _Today marks the 100th day since the campaign on Hamel has ended. How have you been? I hope my previous letter has reached you safely. I am unable to determine if it arrived, given the limited range of my communications with other Nasods. I'm sure you must have felt something similar when our neural connection was severed when I left Hamel._

 _I understand that building a nation with little more than a handful of your people can be quite difficult, especially for a human. The efforts on my end are starting to take show signs of progress. Most of the first few weeks have been spent piecing together what I could of my foundries by hand. Thankfully, Moby and Remy are here to help handle the heavier tasks. Afterwards I've dug out the rubble to one segment of my factory and, after some effort, managed to successfully create a backbone drone network to help with the clean up and revival effort._

 _I have kept little contact with the El Search Party since our departure, but on day 95 of my stay in Altera, I was approached by Elsword's sister who was on her way to the Elven Kingdom. With most of Lurensia purged of the demon threat, she spoke of the El Search Party's possibility of moving our services overseas and invited me to go should such a plan become a reality. With the rising tensions between Sanders and the native Coluso tribes people, more work opportunities would be present for us. I declined, however, for multiple reasons. With the workload I have with my nation's revival, I wished to focus more on my personal goals for the time being._

 _That's not to say my progress hasn't had any setbacks, however. I am still unable to repair my voice module. In fact, any damage I sustain during the revival effort takes significantly longer to repair than before. I will not bore you with the details in coding, but in summary, I must constantly create workarounds for repair protocols that, for some reason, refuse to work. Not only does this affect my ability to function at optimal levels, but it seems to have an adverse effect on my ability to command fleets of drones, as well. I have never had a problem being able to macro manage thousands of drones at a time but at my state my neural network is struggling to maintain a few dozen. I will have to look into this soon._

 _And finally - and most concerning of all - I have sensed something, a glitch perhaps, within the deepest reaches of my personal code. It was calling to me. I have not noticed it during the start of my revival program when my workload was most strenuous, but with more time to myself, I have grown faintly aware of this strange sensation in my systems. It is not magical in nature but, rather, mechanical; like static. It could be a fault in my damaged programs but I am unable to come to a clear conclusion as of yet. The thought that it was perhaps you calling for me through my nanomachines was amusing, but, given our distance, I knew that to be an impossibility._

 _Regardless, I still long to see you, again._

 _Yours,_

 _Eve_

* * *

 _Dearest Chung,_

 _It has been 200 days since we've parted. I have yet to receive a reply back from you. I am beginning to question whether or not these letters are reaching Hamel and wondering if I should, instead, use Velder's postal system as Elsword's sister had suggested a few months ago. If you are getting my letters please do your best to reply. I just want to know how you're doing._

 _Progress in my nations revival is… sluggish to say the least. I have fallen so far behind on my projected milestone schedule that I have long since abandoned it. It is my coding that's holding me back. But any attempts to repair my personal code has proven to be a waste of time and I am forced to continue the project at a drastically slower pace. I have established a basic worker drone assembly line at least. That is correct, many drones similar to Moby and Remy are slowly being constructed daily. With each passing day, the efficiency of our cleanup effort rises. It will only be a matter of time before I can begin construction on standard Nasod civilians enmasse._

 _I was visited by another member of the El Search Party, today. The mercenary had come to Altera, this time, expressing how they needed my participation in their move overseas. I asked why I was needed and apparently the elf had fallen out of contact with the group. The mercenary said that, after some time to think on things, the elf believed you were in the right and that she would have no part in helping the Velderian Empire expand its reach by using the El Search Party._

 _I wanted to help them. I could feel the frustration and sense of loss from the Blade Master. With the elf no longer part of our group, that would mean only three of the remaining members would be left: Elsword, Raven, and Elesis. But, given my condition, I did not wish to burden them with my presence._

 _As you may have guessed… I'm still unable to repair myself, fully. My ability to communicate is strictly limited to text on hologram and doing so would be inefficient in combat situations should that be required if I go with them. With my slower repair speed, I can no longer reliably be there ready to deploy as often as usual. And furthermore, the presence I've mentioned buried within my personal code still lingers._

 _The entity is still faint but it is definitely stronger than before. It is beckoning me to go to it. I don't know where this entity is when it makes such a suggestion but it continues as if it expects me to know the answer. It knows what I'm experiencing. It does not speak but it reassures me that it can fix me. I don't trust it. The only thing I can do is ignore it. In the meantime, I will try and establish a basic Nasod civilian construction grid to keep me occupied. I don't hear the entity when I work._

 _Chung, when you receive this letter, please… please write me back._

 _Yours,_

 _Eve_

* * *

 _Chung?_

 _I'm scared. 300 days after leaving Hamel and my condition has not improved. In fact, it has grown worse. Since day one, I have tried to fix my corrupted code. I've tried writing and rewriting work arounds, as inefficient as they may be, but they are simply treatments. Not a cure._

 _My project has currently fallen to a standstill and I am no longer able to control the small fleet of worker drones by myself. To make things worse, the maximum units I am able to control is steadily declining. I'm trying my best to ignore this entity but the more I try, the more I realize that my options are wearing thin. I cannot ignore the obvious anymore, I need help… And there is no one on this island or this continent that knows how._

 _I have searched for solutions. Word from the pongoes have directed me back across the sea; a rumor of a mechanic who can fix any machine. I have no other leads from here so I must continue my search as I go. Fortunately, I may have the means available to make this trip, though I don't know how long I'll be gone._

 _Chung, if you are reading this, know that it may be awhile until I write again. I hope to see you again, soon._

 _Yours,_

 _Eve_

* * *

"Eve?" Raven stood over her shoulder as she added the finishing touches to her letter. She compressed the projected window into a holographic envelope and held it in front of a floating black drone fitted with shimmering silver wings. The contents of the letter dissolved into data and, with a dutiful chirp, the messenger drone flapped its mechanical wings before floating out the door of a bar named "The Cold Wash".

"The ship to Sander is loaded and about to set sail. Are you ready?"

He didn't expect a verbal answer from the Nasod, but it took her a significantly long time to answer. She wanted to say something but instead continued to stare at a strange red display that hovered in front of her. She reached out to shut the display but not before Raven was able to quietly read what the was on display: "Ex_t c C&d3 Corrupt1;n". The window was minimized just as the number ticked up to 59% and Eve turned to the mercenary with an acknowledging nod.

A bright text window appeared in front of him as a single word was mentally typed out.

"Ready."


	2. Chapter 1: The Young King

**A/N: Special thanks to Aevari, Rave, and Tin for proofreading this chapter. Without your help i wouldn't be able to provide the quality seen here. Sorry for keeping all of you waiting, but as promised here is the beginning of the sequel to The Heart of a Guardian! If you've made it this far into the story and haven't read the previous story, I _highly_ recommend you stop now and read the prequel. A lot of this story draws from the events that happened there and, trust me, there was a lot that happened. With that said, I look forward to your feedback! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

A pair of cyan, puppy-paw eyes traced the length of the line from Nape to Tail as the salty morning breeze of the ocean ushered in the warm northern air of the inevitable summer. Their lights were beginning to fade at the waking hours of twilight, starting yet another day for the people of Hamel; another day of survival for the young king.

The celestial string: a somewhat curved line of twinkling light that began at the north star and ended at the south star. In colloquial terms they were called the Nape and the Tail, respectively. Everything else around it was just beautiful extras that complimented the line. Someone had once told him that if he were ever lost, he could rely on these stars to guide his path. Yet as he stared up at the constellations, only a sad, almost longing sense of nostalgia came to him.

The young man missed them dearly. He wished he could once again see their faces, or at least hear from them from time to time. But he knew what that meant. Relying on those people would be a sign of weakness for a king such as himself. His people were looking up to him as a leader. To show weakness would only shatter their cracked resolve.

"Just as our scouts have reported: it looks like another messenger raven—from Velder, judging from its direction of approach, my king," a rather rotund half-otter-half-man said as he peered through the spyglass. Dressed in scholarly blue robes that complimented his orange-brown fur and a tiny pair of glasses resting on his muzzle, the advisor looked as jolly as he was intelligent. Standing atop a tall wooden lookout tower amidst the outskirts of the ancient waterway, the trusted advisor kept his sights locked on to the single black speck on the approach from the horizon.

The advisor's voice was shrill and grating to its sole listener and the king trained his sights towards the general direction the otter was looking towards, squinting his eyes against the retreating night sky in an attempt to hunt down a black speck amidst a violet backdrop. It must have taken more than a keen eye to spot something so small from so far away. Still, his scouts have proven their commitment time and again to their jobs.

"Very well, Denka. Commend them for their vigilance," the young king said as he stood at the bottom of the tower, still trying his best to spot the tiny speck, "Double their rations for the day."

"You know we can't, your majesty, given the, uh, problem," Denka muttered, doing his best to remain discreet should any prying ears be within listening distance.

"I think we can manage that much for them," the king nodded, not budging on his order.

"If you say so… And what shall we do with the raven, your majesty?"

"The same thing we did to the last one. Shoot it down," the king's words were direct, commanding, this time. His tone was one the otter knew not to argue against. "If it has anything to do with the empire my people are better off without it."

"As you say, my king," his advisor mumbled, putting away the spyglass and making his way down the stairs. The king had not waited for him, however, and by the time he reached the bottom, the otter caught the sight of his king's long blonde locks disappearing just out of his sightlines past a pair of giant defensive harpoon launchers that flanked the path leading down the sheer cliff face. Seeing as his majesty had left him behind and was already halfway down the docks, the otter lifted his robe and hurried after him.

Dressed in messy, earthly colored rags that mirrored the state of his kingdom, and with a face that looked far too young to belong to a king, the young man slung a rather large cannon over his shoulder before making his way down towards the docks along the bay's massive cliff face.

"King Seiker!" he called after him, stopping the young man, "Where on Elrios are you going?"

The king turned to his advisor with a bright, almost unsettlingly confident, smile, "To address the food shortage you mentioned yesterday."

"By going down to the docks?" the otter asked in befuddled confusion, "King Seiker, I-I know you mean well but might I remind you risking your life fishing to feed your people with that _thing_ still out there… why, that's practically suicide!"

Chung shook his head, turning as he continued down to the docks where a boat and a single oarsman waited for him.

"You said it yourself, Denka: this month's harvest hasn't been great and we can't rely on our crops alone to feed all of us."

"B-but _fishing_?"

"We live on a bay, don't we? It's a natural source of food," King Seiker replied matter-of-factly. He boarded the tiny rowboat as the oarsman, a familiar young guardian-in-training, gave the otter a rather casual salute. He was tall, with a body well built for combat. His once shaved head had grown into a short brown fade. With skin tanned from long hours working in the sun, it greatly contrasted the white trainee Freiturnier armor he wore.

"G'morning, advisor!" the oarsman greeted with a quick bow.

"Zudrich!" Denka exclaimed, "It's good to know someone with a sense of reason is available. Would you kindly convince our king to cease this madness and keep his feet on dry land?"

"Actually," the trainee rubbed his neck, "I'm under his orders to come along with him."

"Are you both insane?!"

"No," the guardian-in-training replied, "I'm very much aware of how incredibly reckless his plan is. But I'm here to protect him more than anything else."

"And the other trainees?"

"I… haven't gotten around to telling them, yet."

Chung laughed, "Zuzu just wants the glory to himself."

"Your majesty, with all due respect, you _told_ me not to tell anyone else. I came alone, as ordered."

"You'll make a fine paladin one day, Zuzu."

"Provided we survive," Zuzu muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Survive _what_?!" Denka cried in a panic, now, as the guardian-in-training pushed the boat off the dock.

"I told you, already," Chung replied, pulling on the necklace from under his shirt. A guardian stone was pulled into view. Beautifully embroidered in gold in the shape of the paladin's crest, the stone radiated a luminescent blue much brighter than the old one he lost during the temple of trials, "I'm going to address the food shortage."

"I—He—Is that your father's stone?!"

Using the stone to channel his El, a tingling sensation swept over the king's body. Magical energies were siphoned into the stone before being directed towards the weapon in his hands. Chung pulled the reload lever of his cannon, listening to the satisfying 'thunk' of fresh rounds filling the chamber.

"Almost forgot what that felt like," Chung commented before hefting the cannon back onto his shoulder and waving at Denka, "Guardian stones are hard to come by nowadays. I'm only borrowing it, anyways. I'm certain my father would have wanted me to use it in his place. Don't worry, I'll return it in one piece!"

"I'd rather _you_ return in one piece! Get back here this instant!" Denka shouted as the distance between the two grew, "I mean it! Now!"

Seeing as the boat was doing anything but turning around, the otter hurried back up the stairs, muttering loudly under his breath. Chung assumed it was to call the other trainees.

"Be sure to tell the scouts that I commend them!" Chung called after the otter. He sighed, sinking onto his seat as he watched the otter's short legs hobble up the stairway. "You try to fix a problem and people get mad at you. Such is the life of a leader."

"Advisor Denka has every right to be angry, my king," Zudrich whispered as he continued rowing.

Chung sighed, seriousness finding its way through the cracks of his smile. He carefully took a seat at the boat's center to avoid capsizing the two of them. "Yeah, well, this is for the survival of our kingdom, Zuzu. We won't have enough food to feed everyone until the next harvest, so drastic measures are going to have to be taken."

He could see the trainee nod from the corner of his eye in agreement as they both silently floated their way across the kingdom of Senace's bay.

"I could've handled this alone, if you asked, my king."

"You could die by yourself if I had. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you in my stead."

"Likewise for me, to you, my king. Hence why I willingly chose to follow you."

"Because if neither of us are allowed to die, might as well have both of us, right?" Chung muttered sarcastically as he turned his attention to the distant sunken city closing in the distance. They continued on in silence once more. The air growing thick with tension as the young king sensed the trainee to be gauging his resolve.

"We don't have to do this, King Seiker. There are other options, you kn—"

"I can't," Chung interjected, hastily, "I won't. Not after what they did to us."

"But, my king, without outside help, our people—"

"I will not rely on an empire willing to kill us just to exploit our stone's power. This discussion is over, Zudrich. We are not going to bend to Velder's wishes."

Chung waited for the trainee to speak as the silence that remained bore heavy on the king's shoulders. Ever since that day—ever since he banished Velder troops from his kingdom, he swore to never open his borders to them for as long as he ruled over Hamel. The past few months may have been difficult rebuilding a kingdom from the ground up, but he saw the resolve in his people, he felt the fires of their loyalty to the crown burning brighter than it ever did, even for his father. He knew they could harness that energy to give every day their all into rebuilding their home. But was energy and enthusiasm enough for a country that had next to nothing?

Amidst the energy of his people's unquestioning loyalty, Chung sensed the shadows of dissonance lurking among them. With the recent food shortage still kept under wraps, it was only a matter of time before the already starving populace must cut their daily rations even more. He knew what an empty stomach could do to an army. Chung feared what it would do to a city of refugees.

Finally. Zudrich spoke.

"As you say, my king. I'll follow you to the grave if I must."

It was a phrase Zuzu repeated again and again throughout these trying times. Those words were either comforting or exhausting depending on the context he recited them in. In this case, it was the latter.

The boat continued to coast over the dark blue waves of the bay. With the demons no longer controlling the El Stone, the purification efforts led by Sasha and her acolytes-in-training were starting to have visible effect on the surrounding waters. Although his advisor suggested they focus their efforts on using the blessed waters to secure a meaningful food source for their farms, the king had a more ambitious vision of clearing the taint from the bay. As much sense as it made at the time to begin planning for the future, the month's crop failure was a disaster the king was hoping wouldn't happen.

Zuzu gently directed the boat around one of the surviving support columns of the great eastern bridge that once connected the city of Resiam to Senace's waterway. Much of the city that once stood as Senace's pearl in the ocean, had long been lost under the dark waters of the bay. Nothing had been done to restore the city, nor did Chung think it would ever be possible in his lifetime. The towering high rise buildings leaned against one another in the brink of collapsing, the once busy streets had disappeared underneath the tides, and even the Velder encampment - hastily left behind after they were banished from Hamel - were only visible through the red canvas tops floating just above the water's surface.

Resiam was slowly sinking and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"This should be the place," Zuzu whispered, bringing the boat to a stop at particular clearing amidst a forest of old skyscrapers.

"You sure this is it?" Chung asked, standing as his eyes scanned the blue waters that glittered in the sun.

"It was where the scouts spotted the beast multiple times, my king," Zuzu reported.

"You got the bait, then?"

The trainee extracted a bag from underneath his seat, unleashing a storm of flies as he opened the bag. He pulled out a netted bundle of rotting fish tied to a rope, covering his nose in the process while holding it in front of his king.

"The entire week's harvest,"

"Better than usual, huh?" Chung joked as he fanned his hand at the stench. Zuzu didn't laugh. The king cleared his throat, "That'll change once we get rid of the beast."

"Hopefully."

"Toss it in."

Zuzu did so, throwing the bundle over the portside of their little boat. And then they waited.

Chung scanned the surface for any movement, shifting anxiously in his seat as the two sat there in silence. For the first few minutes he was on high alert, head turning to even the slightest sound of water gently lapping against the boat's side. Frankly he wasn't sure if this plan was going to work in the first place, but given their situation, he couldn't sit around idly while his people starved. This may not be the best solution but it was the most immediate.

The minutes rolled by with nothing but the calm blue waters underneath them. Nothing was happening. By then, Chung only scanned the waters just so he wouldn't have to look at the trainee who was very much observing his king at this point. He didn't want to talk to him.

"King Seiker," Zuzu said after a while, his words causing the king to bite his own tongue in anticipation.

"Yes, Zuzu?"

"About what we were talking about earlier—"

Chung sighed, closing his eyes. "No."

"It doesn't have to be Velder, you know."

"Then who?"

"Sander, maybe?"

Chung shook his head, "They're a greedy nation, Zuzu. I've considered that option time and again, but we don't have the coin nor do we have the means to even establish a form of trade with them. What can we give them that they don't already have?"

"Fish?"

The king chuckled, "Once we down this beast, maybe. But even still, that's not enough for what we would ask of them."

The trainee nodded, leaving the conversation at that. Normally Chung would have appreciated the silence, though the trainee's eyes told the king that he had something else in mind.

"Any other ideas?" Chung asked, nearly regretting his decision to coax it out of the young man.

"Uh, maybe?" Zuzu chuckled half-dismissively, "I know I'm stepping out of line for even suggesting this but, you know, since they're in a desert and all—"

"You've stepped out of line since you brought this conversation up in the first place. Do you think I care about hierarchy when we're floating alone out here in the middle of dangerous waters? Speak to me as your equal; as if I were a squire as well."

"My king, you know I can't do that."

"You can. Try me, Zuzu. When formalities are dropped, I'd like to think of myself as easy to approach. At least that's how it was before I left the El Search Party."

Zudrich drummed his fingers on his seat as he rolled his head around the idea, his shoulders visibly slacking as he relaxed. "If you insist, King Seiker. What I was trying to say is we could _offer_ Sander our Water Stone services."

The trainee had his attention, now. Since as long as he could remember, Hamel's water magic had been exclusively theirs. If others wanted state-of-the-art healing magic, or the purest water for the most volatile or reactive alchemical applications, Hamel was the only place to get it. During its peak, travelers from all over the world would flock to the secluded peninsula just for their water. And now Zuzu was suggesting they export it? At the condition they were in?

"Everything from shards to healing waters. Maybe even open the borders to them and allow people to visit us? This would open up work opportunities especially with the rebuilding process."

"So you want to give another greedy nation the chance to exploit our El Stone like Velder did?"

"Well—When broken down to its basic form of reasoning… yes?"

Chung's eyes narrowed at the suggestion and the trainee rubbed his neck as he tried to explain himself.

"Sander isn't resorting to opening a demon gate just to gain control of our stone. My king, with all due respect, our people are suffering. We don't have the means to stand on our own. Who knows how long it'd be when Velder decides to come right back and take over Senace? Velder isn't aware of it, yet, but if they so much as sail at us with a small fleet of ships, we can't do anything about it. Those two harpoon guns mounted alongside the waterway's walls? That's all we have. Given how long it takes to even produce one guardian stone, I doubt we'd have a cannon ready if they do decide to pay us a visit. Even then it won't be close to enough. But with Sander aiding us in reconstruction, we can focus on preventing that from happening. Don't you agree?"

The king leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles as he considered the trainee's proposition. He had never liked Sander for their profit-driven, egocentric ideals, but with how things were going in his kingdom, did he really have a choice?

"You may be onto something, Zuzu," the king relented, garnering a smile from the trainee.

"I'm glad you are seeing things our way, my king."

Chung blinked. "Our way?"

"Ah, yes. 'Our' as in the high priestess and the advisor."

His majesty sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, "I thought you were being uncharacteristically brilliant. So Sasha and Denka put you up to this?"

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"No! I didn't mean that," Chung defended, "I just didn't expect such a specific answer from you."

"You may have my loyalty, King Seiker, but that doesn't mean I can't think for myself. I saw legitimate reason in their suggestion and it is my choice to pass the idea on to you. Now whether or not you listen is beyond my control, know that I won't be afraid to speak my mind if I see fit."

Chung relented in a long, drawn out sigh, "Fine. You know I was beginning to lose sleep over everything, anyways. Better to have someone tell me in private than have an entire kingdom's worth of people doing it at my doorstep."

A smile appeared on the trainee's lips, "So we're in agreeance, then?"

"Yeah. We'll ask Sander for help."

"When will you send an emissary?"

"Better now than later, I suppose. I'll even go, myself."

"Yourself, my king?"

"When I was little I never understood why my father was often absent from the castle, even when my mother's health was declining. Now that I'm older I think I understand why he always visited other kingdoms in person rather than send someone else in his stead. I think it was because it was easier to speak for yourself rather than have another speak for you. A lot of the other nations respected him for that and I wanted to mirror that sentiment. Besides, what better way to meet other nation's leaders than in person, right?"

"But, the trip through the mountains is perilous," Zuzu reasoned, "Let's not forget the expansive desert that you could easily lose your way in."

"If it bothers you that much then you can come with me."

"Me, sire?"

"If neither of us are allowed to die, it might as well be both of us," Chung joked. Again Zuzu didn't laugh.

"Lighten up, Zuzu. You've talked me out of doing something stupid into something potentially more stupid."

"Right," the trainee grumbled, rolling his eyes, "Speaking of supposedly terrible ideas, what made you want to resort to doing _this_ anyways? I mean, baiting and hunting Big Blue? I've never heard of a king so willing to die for the sake of their people."

A sad smile crossed the king's lips, "You can say it's an inherited sense of courage."

"Courage or stupidity?"

"Both, I guess. But it's just something I learned out in the field throughout the years. Sometimes you have to do something completely stupid to fix things. And sometimes they just really work to your favor."

"The El Search Party, I'm guessing?"

Chung didn't answer. But a sense of longing and loneliness was written all over his face.

"You never told us about your exploits as part of the famed adventurers. I'm sure the others would be inspired with your stories."

"Some things are just better left forgotten, Zuzu. That part of my life is over. Our paths diverged after Hamel. And if they're going to support a nation that would go through such horrible lengths to gain power, then I want no part in it."

Chung stared at his hands in silence. The battle-worn calluses in his palms were beginning to fade from the months since he last wielded his destroyer. He had made a promise to never use the weapon again, yet here he was waiting for a giant eel to come take the bait. It wasn't too late to put the weapon away, though. As Zudrich had presented, there were other solutions available.

The king stood, setting the cannon aside and reaching for the rope. "Well, I think we should get going then, huh? Clearly Big Blue isn't coming so we might as well pack up and leave before—"

Chung pulled on the rope but only found himself pulling the entire boat towards the bait.

The two of them looked at each other before Zuzu took over for his king, yanking the rope hard enough to nearly capsize their little rowboat.

"It must be caught on something," the trainee grunted as he rose from his seat and gave the rope a series of tugs.

The entire time, the king hung on to the other side of the boat, helping to balance the weight as he became acutely aware of the unusually blue shimmer of the waters beneath him.

The sun hadn't even risen past the mountains yet.

"Zuzu. Let it go."

"I almost got it, Chung, don't worry," the trainee grumbled as he pulled the rope again and again.

The water shimmered once more and, to the king's horror, the blue pools underneath opened, revealing a deep red and black eye, shadowed by the boat that floated over it.

"Zuzu. Let. It. Go. Now."

In the far distance, Chung saw the small ripple of waves as the giant eel's tail whipped into motion.

"I can't. I borrowed this rope from the owner of the fishery and I told him I'd return it once—"

The rope pulled back, causing the trainee to lose his grip and fall back on the boat. The rest of the rolled line rapidly unraveled itself as the entire body of water seemed to flow as one entity towards the distant cliff walls.

A knot formed, catching the trainee by the leg just as the last of the rope disappeared into the water. In that split second, both of them leapt for the knot in an attempt to free the young man but before they even had the chance, Zuzu was quickly pulled overboard.

Chung was sent rolling back as the entire boat lurched forward at a near breakneck burst of speed. Salt water came crashing over the king as he tried to keep himself from being swept away. It didn't take long to find out that the guardian-in-training was clinging on to the railings for dear life as the giant beast under the water pulled the two of them out into open waters.

"Cut yourself free!" the king ordered through the torrent of seaspray.

"With what?!" Zuzu gurgled as the beast swerved violently to the left, back towards the bay's cliff face, causing the trainee to lose his grip with one hand.

Chung leapt to the front of the boat, catching Zuzu's free hand before rooting himself onto his seat in an attempt to pull him back onboard.

Upon reaching open water, the boat slowed briefly but not before the rope began to pull the trainee downward. The beast was diving.

Chung's grip tightened around the man's arm as the both of them hoped that he could just pull his friend out of the bindings.

His hand began to slip, however, and no matter how hard he tried to maintain his hold, the king could do nothing but watch in horror as Zudrich disappeared into the dark depths.

"Zuzu!" Chung cried as he quickly rose to his feet in a panic. He could dive in after him but not with his cannon. What good was he in water against such a beast without his cannon? The other option was to shoot blindly into the water, but he had no way to tell if he was in danger of hitting Zudrich or if he struck the beast. As far as he could tell, though, it was a far better solution than waiting for the beast to just give his friend back.

Balancing himself on the boats edge, he pointed the barrel of his cannon down into the dark depths, searching for any signs of movement to draw a bead on. There was nothing but the black waters below and with every second he spent waiting was another Zudrich spent drowning. He fired, sending a high velocity cannonball into the water's depths. It connected with the seafloor, exploding in a faint flash of blue. In that brief flash of light, the young king swore he saw just a piece of the hauntingly large silhouette of a demonically mutated coral serpent far below.

He fired again, drawing a bead on the previous image's location and he saw the monstrous eel's shimmering scales as its entire form snaked its way around the boat.

He sent another two rounds downward, the last hitting its intended target as a low, ghastly groan seemed to rise from the waters around him.

Chung rolled back on the boat, pouring his El into the guardian stone as he tried to load a full clip into his cannon.

The boat shuddered and nearly capsized as the beast suddenly burst out of the water in a giant pillar of white seaspray. The tiny boat careened backwards as Chung dared not fall off and lose his only weapon. The rowboat came to a stop and the king found himself staring up at monstrous, blue-scaled beast that towered several stories above him. It had a face larger than a galleon and a maw that could easily swallow smaller ships. Its jagged rows of teeth seemed to grin at the tiny morsel before it as its giant red eyes fixated on the king.

"Hey, Big Blue," Chung said, his voice shaking as he reached for his weapon, "Remember me?"

The beast reared its head, letting out a piercing howl that caused the cliff face behind it to crack under the sheer volume of its call.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Chung replied, rising to his feet as his ears continued to ring.

He trained the barrel of the cannon at the monster's head and was nearly about to fire when he noticed a small figure dangling by a rope hanging out of Big Blue's mouth. Zudrich flailed about wildly as he hung helplessly right under the beast's chin. He was alive! And he looked to be doing his best to free himself from the knot. The giant eel seemed completely unaware of his presence at all. The way Zudrich swung right under the beast's head made it nearly impossible for Chung to take the shot without putting the trainee in danger. Yet as Zudrich attempted to free himself, Chung could barely manage to make out a tiny thumbs-up from the guardian-in-training. It was as if he was telling him to go ahead and shoot.

Like hell he'd do that.

If he could just buy enough time for him to—

The king was sent airborne as the eel's tail violently came crashing down on the boat, creating another powerful column of sea spray that carried anything caught in it skyhigh. With nothing but the wind to guide Chung's flight he quickly found himself staring down a giant maw, waiting eagerly to swallow him whole. All the while he spotted the trainee finally freeing his leg and plummeting to the waters below.

Thinking quickly, the king rolled to bring his cannon to bear. Sending a shot downward that struck the beast on its nose and giving enough recoil to just barely alter Chung's trajectory to fall past his waiting mouth rather than in it.

The cannonball punched through the beast's thick scales, leaving a deep gruesome hole where its nose and most of its upper left jaw used to be.

It shrieked as Chung landed along the gentle slope of the eel's body and he continued to roll wildly towards the water. He fired his cannon again, away this time, using the recoil of the blast to bury the bladed edge of the weapon into Big Blue's sides. His descent slowed to a stop but not before creating a deep gash along the side of the beast.

It writhed its body, training its eyes down to the little thorn on its side and opened its jaws to strike at the king who could do nothing but hang there helplessly.

"Fire!" a shrill, grating voice ordered from along the cliff's edge.

In that moment, a harpoon was viciously driven into the beast's gills, causing it to turn at the new threat.

"Fire!" the order was given again and a second harpoon found its mark under the beast's chin, punching straight through the roof of its mouth and embedding itself deep in its skull.

It tried to pull away, but the thick chains anchored into two gigantic winches held strong against the struggling monstrosity.

"Get on the crank! All together now!" Denka ordered as all thirty-nine of the other guardians-in-training manned the large gear that began to reel Big Blue in. The entire cliff face shuddered under the strain as the eel fought against the combined strength of nearly forty Hamelians.

The entire time, the beast shrieked. The wails were earsplitting for Chung as the body writhed against the water.

The beast's body angled over the cliff's edge, giving Chung enough footing to hang on before it was angled enough for the king to carefully climb up along.

"Hold!" Denka's voice was heard over the cliff edge as the body came to a stop. Chung carefully continued his trek along the eel's body, doing his best to keep his balance as the beast's large body slowly lurched under him.

He cleared the gills, receiving a rather unpleasant spray of blood and sea water as he passed, before cresting over the cliff's edge and standing just over Big Blue's eye.

The giant orb turned to him and upon seeing the king, the eel let out another shriek, struggling in the chains with such might that the trainees holding the beast down were nearly knocked off their feet.

"Don't worry, Big Blue," Chung said, hefting his cannon and cramming the barrel into its eye, "I'd rather not waste any more time with you, either."

He pulled the trigger, causing a spray of blood, water, and eye juice to burst from the monster's head, covering everyone unfortunate enough to be helping the king. The beast tensed as it gave one last dying wail before its entire body went slack. Chung stumbled off the beast, keeping his weapon pointed at Big Blue's head, waiting for it to spring to life once more. It didn't, and after what seemed like a minute of waiting, the entire cliffside of participants gave a unified sigh of relief.

"Thanks for that, Denka," Chung exhaled, trying his best to wipe the grime from his face with his shirt but only managing to smear the pink mush over himself, "Though I doubt a single bath is going to get rid of the stench—"

"My king!" Denka's face was visibly red through the orange fur and pink eel guts.

"I—I warned you! I… Reckless!" the advisor scolded, "Absolutely reckless! It was foolish and… and thoughtless! And reckless!"

"No!" a haggard voice coughed from beyond the cliff edge. The two turned to its source just as Zuzu, soaked from head to toe and missing a few plates of his trainee armor, appeared limping up the stairs to them.

"Advisor, it was my fault," he gasped, coughing out the salt water from his lungs, "If I hadn't been tangled by the rope we would have most likely escaped largely unharmed."

"You're not hurt are you, Zuzu?" the king asked, looking him up and down.

"Bruised, my king," Zudrich replied, slumping his shoulders, "maybe a bit waterlogged and possibly with a concussion, but not that far off from our daily training regime, really."

Chung sighed, patting the young man on the shoulder, "I'm sorry I had to put you through that. It wasn't my intention to get you killed—"

"I know, my king. I know," he smiled at Chung, "If not either of us, why not both of us, right?"

The king chuckled, pulling him in for a tight hug that surprised the trainee.

Denka was beside himself in anger. "Are you two done celebrating your foolishness?! You forget that our king's _life_ was on the line here! Why, if you died, I… I..." with the rush of the moment finally over the otter rapidly broke down into tears.

A pang of guilt hit Chung right in the chest as he immediately moved to comfort the advisor. "Denka, I'm sorry. Yes, I know what I did was stupid, but look!" he motioned at the slain beast, "An answer to our problem!"

The otter sniffled and blinked at him in confusion, removing the tiny glasses to wipe his eyes before putting them back on. All he saw was a giant dead beast.

"Erm… forgive me, your majesty, but, what exactly am I looking for, here?"

Chung cleared his throat before leaning in towards the otter, "The answer to the food shortage problem."

"W… what?"

"Guardians!" Chung shouted, causing all the trainees to stand at attention, "Gather the others! We'll want as much of this stored before the meat goes bad."

"Yes, my king!" they all answered in unison before taking off to the ancient waterway.

"Erm, not you, Zuzu. See if any of the acolytes are available to tend to your wounds, okay? Have to make sure you're ready for the upcoming trip."

"At once, my king," Zudrich saluted and limped back towards the waterway gates.

Denka's brow furrowed even more, "Trip?"

"Hope you won't get tired of eel anytime soon," Chung said, removing the guardian stone that hung around his neck and handing it over to the advisor, "If we can get everything stored in refrigeration we can be set for a month or two, don't you think?"

"King Seiker… what trip?"

"I mean, look at the size of this thing!" Chung stood over the cliff motioning at the rest of the eel that was still submerged underwater, "Maybe all this food can last us a year! Do you think it's plausible to keep food stored for that long? Though now that I think about it an entire year of eating strictly eel might do more harm than good for our diets."

"King Seiker!" Denka shouted, garnerning a knowing smile from the king.

"Yes, my trusted advisor?"

"You… mentioned a trip? Please tell me you're not doing anything reckless, again, are you?"

"Define reckless?"

Chung could see the color draining from the otter's face.

"Denka, relax. I just had a talk with Zudrich. He convinced me of doing something I thought was rather stupid to begin with."

"And that stupid idea is…?"

"A trade agreement with Sander."

The otter looked as if he was about to have a heart attack from the suggestion. It was hard to distinguish whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but given the circumstances, the prince figured it was the former.

"E-excuse me? My king, are you saying—"

"Advisor, notify the Hameling handlers and gather supplies for my trip. At first light tomorrow, I'll be going to Sander."

* * *

"Do you feel that's everything I'll need?" Chung commented as he was sure the advisor was fixing a third pack of towels onto Irim's harness. The white dragon groaned under the layers of equipment strapped to its back. One would think the king was preparing to move out of his kingdom entirely with all his personal belongings stowed on the Hameling.

Just like yesterday, the king was early out of bed well before the sun rose. judging by the bags that hung over his Hameling as well as under the otter's eyes neither of them had the luxury of sleep last night.

"Maybe I should have the castle hands prepare a separate bag of hangers just in case," Denka muttered.

Chung sighed and approached the Hameling. "That won't be necessary," he said as he unfastened a strap. The entire payload of personal items fell onto the grass with a soft thump. He dug through the pile and extracted a single worn backpack that he personally packed himself before turning in for the night. Dressed in thick, carefully knitted, white and grey layers and a blue flowing scarf for the coming trip over the mountains, the prince looked as he were preparing for a cold winter day.

"M-my king! A single bag? But you'll be traveling for who knows how long!"

"One of the most important things I've learned during my time as an adventurer is to travel light," he toted the single bag, "Only bring what's absolutely necessary. Everything else would just weigh you down."

"Good morning, your majesty!" Zudrich called as he appeared from the temporary commons area within the waterway complex. His choice of wardrobe was significantly more humble compared to the king's and consisted of earthly colored wools and a wolf's pelt draped over his shoulder. Had he grown a beard and bore an axe, Chung could have easily mistaken him for some sort of winterborn barbarian. Slung over a shoulder was a single travel pack

"Right on time. Good morning, Zuzu."

"I packed light, as ordered, King Seiker."

"Good. I say we're just about ready to head out then?"

"Your majesty," Denka interrupted, "With all due respect, you do realize the Hamelings aren't made for the desert beyond the vast mountain range, don't you? It takes roughly an entire day's worth of flying to span the entire mountain range. Once you've reached the northern reaches of our natural border, I fear the temperature may be too warm for our reptilian friend. What will you do, then?"

"If I remember correctly, my father mentioned a traders outpost he would often stop at to hire transport through the desert from there."

"Erm… with the conditions of our country in the past few years, I highly doubt that outpost would be functioning at all, my king."

"I have to at least try. If anything, I'll just travel along the border and search for any settlements that can point me the right way."

"That's not good enough of a plan!" Denka protested.

"Relax. If I can't find a way to reliably cross the desert I'll be back by tomorrow evening. Promise."

The otter scrunched his nose at him, gauging the worth of the king's words. He reminded the king of Rena in that parenting sort of way and he wondered if this was how Elsword must have felt when the elf looked at him the same way Denka did.

The otter relented.

"Very well, your majesty. I'm just worried for you, that's all."

"I understand."

"But, before you go. There's one more thing that I wish to address. High Priestess?"

Chung and Zudrich turned their attention towards a slender figure standing off towards the waterway gates. Flanked by an entourage of acolytes-in-training bearing ceremonial torches, they approached their departing king with the same dignified sense of purpose often seen in their religious gatherings.

Once before their leader, the High Priestess gave a deep bow, prompting the others to kneel.

"Sasha," Chung whispered, "You know how I feel about all the formalities. Stand. A simple farewell is good enough."

"King Seiker," the priestess began, "On behalf of the people of Hamel and our goddess who governs the mystical powers of water, it is with great honor that I present to you a gift symbolizing their unified will."

She stepped aside, allowing the acolytes to present their offerings wrapped in regal purple cloth to their king. Nine pieces of armor were unraveled. The leg pieces of the armor consisted mostly of jet black Hamelian steel, while white layers along the sides of the chest plate, shoulders, and gauntlets complimented the sleeker, more streamlined design. Horatio's absence was noticeably absent in the armor's less regal design choices as the molded plates seemed to be much heavier than the previous armor set Chung had to grow into. Despite this, the gift was beautiful and the pristine shine to it left Chung staring slack jawed in awe.

"Is… that really for me?"

The High Priestess nodded, "When meeting the leaders of other nations, one must represent their own to the highest degree. I believe this armor is as functional as it is durable. It may have taken us months to develop but without the late Horatio guiding our smiths, the process took much longer than expected. Still, I hope it is to your liking… I thought you might have need of it since your last set was completely destroyed. I secretly asked the smiths to dedicate their time in producing one for you. Sorry for not informing you."

The king was the first to break formalities and hugged the high priestess, causing the other acolytes to erupt in a mix of shock and giggles. "You didn't have to do that, you know," Chung commented.

"I wanted to," she whispered back, "It's the least I could do to repay you for saving me from Ran."

"Congratulations, your majesty," Zudrich whispered.

"And Zudrich," the priestess continued, catching the trainee off guard, and garnering a knowing grin from the king as he pulled away from Sasha, "Kneel."

The young man did so, and King Seiker took the stage, standing in front of the trainee as he held out a piece of paper scrawled with notes bearing Sasha's neat and curvy handwriting, he read the passage out loud.

"For your exceptional performance as a squire before and during the initial demon invasion that ravaged our lands several years ago, for outstanding display of leadership during Velder's banishing, and your undying loyalty to our cause, we would ĺike to present you with this"

The acolytes parted, letting the weapons and armor smiths wheel in a brand new cannon and a matching white Hamelian Knights armor personally crafted and lined with wolf's fur along the shoulder plates. A bright blue guardian stone hung on to the armor's chestpiece and began to glow brighter as it drew closer to its intended owner.

"The first guardian stone created under such trying times in our history; the symbol of hardwork and dedication. We believe this honor belongs to no one else but you. You may rise, Fury Guardian Zudrich."

The guardian rose wobbling to his feet. "It's… I'm humbled, your majesty."

"Don't thank me. Sasha did most of the work," Chung said, motioning at the priestess.

"This gift was long overdue, Fury Guardian," the High Priestess added, "It takes quite a while to make even one of these guardian stones. May it protect you in all your future endeavors."

As the newest guardian began fitting on the new armor, Chung was busy putting his away in another bag.

"Not going to try it on, your majesty?" the advisor asked.

"I'm fairly confident it will fit," Chung shrugged, "besides, I don't even have a guardian stone of my own to put it to full use. I'll wear it when I have to when I reach Sander."

"That's a shame," Denka in mock dejection, "and here I was curious to see how it would look with this seated on the chestplate."

He held his paw out before Chung and the king's eye caught the distinct glint of gold and glowing blue El. It was his father's stone.

"Denka, I… you mean it?"

The otter shrugged as the king gingerly took the stone off his paw, "I don't see why not. You were right. Your father would want you to have it. And since you're crossing the desert it's a lot more useful to you than it is to anyone else here. And like I said, I'd rather you come back in one piece than the stone."

Chung ran his thumb gently along the golden frame. The soft hum of El coursed through the stone as he cradled the jewel.

"Use it if necessary," Denka whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek, "And come home safe, my king."

Chung gripped the stone, turning to the otter and giving him a tight farewell embrace.

"I will," Chung replied, "I promise."


	3. Chapter 2: Fruitless Endeavours

**A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Luna, and elysiontower for helping proofread! I couldn't have done it without you three to point out all my mistakes. So! Here's chapter 2! I'd like to warn you that I'm trying something new in narrating the story I've prepared and this will become apparent to you readers within the first few paragraphs. I hope you'll like this... shift in views :3 if not or you think it can be done better please, i'm all for constructive criticism!**

* * *

Described as a diamond in the middle of a vast ocean of sand, the desert metropolis wasn't far from the metaphorical image. Its shimmering radiance could be seen well before the weary travelers even arrived, and as they drew closer, it became apparent just how it shined so vividly in the hot afternoon sun.

Surrounded by a massive water reservoir that both functioned as its life source and defense against outside invaders, the shoulder-deep man-made moat may as well have been the city's private ocean nestled in the basin of a giant dune valley.

A multitude of spires rivaling the height of old ruined skyscrapers in Resiam dotted the metropolis; many of which functioned as a dock for the numerous airships, traveling to and from the city. Mounted on top of each spire were large rotating water collection nets, which were one of the city's famous attractions. Far below the towering buildings was a maze of densely packed streets of limestone homes and commercial districts. Hundreds of thousands of people could be seen pushing their way through the traffic while shopkeepers shouted for each passerby to come see their wares.

A white drone hovered over its mistress, who stood by the railing of a small transport airship. "Remy_003 reporting in. Area designated as 'sector one' has been scanned, mistress. I've went ahead and filtered the possible results down to thirteen points of interest." To say it spoke would be somewhat inaccurate, as any normal human listening in would only hear a series of chirps and whistles of no discernable pattern or meaning. Yet for the person to whom it spoke, the message came as a direct, feminine voice.

Golden eyes scanned over the bustling streets below as the silver-haired Nasod constructed a detailed mental map of her upcoming base of operations. Notes were taken and pins were placed for all the pubs, parks, and other such areas of high civilian traffic; any place where she could glean info to help in her search.

Yet as she worked with the flood of new incoming data, she became faintly aware of something else creeping into the back of her mind. It was a strange sensation of static that existed only as a weak, almost indiscernible, flicker in the furthest reaches of her core's communications systems. After half a day's worth of flying over the desert, however, the sensation intensified into something else. It was a signal and it was decrypted.

No response from her mistress. The white drone tilted slightly. "Mistress Eve?"

The Queen of Nasods blinked at the call of her name, shifting her focus on her loyal drone. Her response was slow and was grounds for immediate concern from her servant, who then flooded the neural link between the two with a flurry of inquiries. Eve dismissed it all with a shake of her head, quietly reassuring the drone that there was nothing to worry about and reached out to pat her.

"Is it the voice again?" Remy asked. The queen's hand froze at the question for a moment; long enough to draw even more concern from the white drone.

"It is, isn't it? Has it gotten worse? Do you feel weaker? Has the corrupted code affected more of your programming?"

"Mistress Eve!" a voice filled with youthful vigor and over excitement rang in the Nasod's head. A black drone flew in from the aft end of the airship, chittering up a storm in a language only its mistress could understand.

"This city is amazing! It may not be as densely packed as Velder but there's so many people from all around the world here! Not to mention all the neat things in all the market districts!"

"Moby," the white drone whirred, "Your sector?"

"Yes! They're all in my sector! Oh! We should check out the 'Cheese Wheel'. That place sounded interesting! And the 'Rock Salt Restaurant' sounds exotic. And I saw a bunch of people flocking to a place called the 'Tail Feather'. We should check that place out, too!"

"Moby!" the white drone whistled.

"Yes, Remy?" the black drone ceased its ecstatic twirling to give the white drone its undivided attention.

The white drone visibly trembled in what could only be discerned as anger and annoyance. It was only when their mistress placed a hand on the white drone's head that Remy settled down. Eve shook her head quietly at Remy before gesturing calmly towards the white drone's partner.

"Report for your sector," Remy said flatly. Eve tapped the drone twice on the head; she flinched from the slight contact before relenting, "Please."

"Oh… Oh!" Moby perked, "I forgot."

The gyroscopic engines within the white drone whirred violently and, had it not been for their mistress wrapping her arms around her, she would have pushed the black drone overboard. Instead, Remy was quietly tucked under Eve's arm before she turned to face Moby. She placed a hand over her chest. A single word appeared in their communication log.

"Hurry."

"Y-yes, Mistress Eve!" Moby replied, "I won't let you down!" The black drone zipped away, zigzagging through the dozens of other passengers standing on the airship's main deck, as he made for the aft end of the ship, once more.

"Such a nuisance," Remy whirred, "There are other, more effective personality algorithms, mistress."

"I know," was Eve's reply on the private message log between the two.

"With all due respect, we can't afford to waste time like this."

Eve turned to the metropolis before her as the ship approached one of the large spires. She shut her eyes, letting out a soft, trembling sigh as a red display winked into existence in front of her.

59%

It was almost due to move up another tick. She understood the constraint she was in, but it was something she was afraid to monitor. She didn't want to be reminded of how little time she had left and would've preferred it if Remy didn't constantly pressure her. Still, it was a necessary reminder to keep her focused on the upcoming task. The red number was shoved out of her view and she leaned forward, gripping the railing as impatience and anxiety took hold of her.

"I know."

With the functionality of her systems slowly declining, the Nasod figured it would only be a matter of time before the efficiency of her scanners would fall to the same fate as her ability to heal or lead other Nasods.

To make matters worse, finding a place was only part of the challenge. What she was really worried about was the method of com-

"So, this is Sander," a young man interrupted her train of thought as he hung over the railing of the tiny transport airship, "I always thought it to be a lot smaller, being in a desert and all. Have you been here before, Eve?" He ran an arm along his jaw, wiping the beads of sweat that quite literally poured from his head.

He and the rest of the other passengers aboard the transport had to suffer through the blistering heat the entire day. The hot desert wind and layers of Velderian Knight's armor didn't help much. Eve wasn't spared from the heat either, as the black one piece and high boots she wore were perfect for absorbing the intense sunlight.

A bright blue text screen popped up over the Nasod's head as white letters began to flood it, substituting her missing voice:

 _No. I've only ever been within the confines of Altera's Core. Everything beyond Lunastre is-_

"That's odd coming from a member of the El Search Party," a tall, blonde woman joined in as she occupied the open spot next to the redhead by the railings, "I always imagined you folks to have traveled all over Elrios, Lord Knight Seighart."

"Elsword's fine, Rose. I'm not into that whole… ranking officer crap," the knight waved, dismissively, "So I take it you've been here before?" No longer donning the Velderian Markswoman's uniform that she initially appeared in, the woman was dressed in a less elaborate, loose fitting white long sleeve top and a pair of ivory cargo pants in anticipation of the significantly warmer climate they were flying into. Her long blonde locks were tied in a loose braid that fell to the small of her back and she looked much more comfortable than the party members she had been assigned with.

Eve didn't say anything after she was interrupted. Not like she could, anyways. Her half-written message that hung over her head remained unfinished for a moment longer before she deleted the text box entirely, opting not to bother tapping Elsword's shoulder for attention just so he could read what she wrote.

"I lived here for a few years, yeah," Rose smiled as she scratched the tip of her nose, "When Velder was lost I fled across the ocean and found myself here after aimlessly traveling from village to village in the desert."

Elsword cocked an eyebrow, "When Velder was lost? Whatcha mean?"

The blonde clammed up quickly upon realizing the minor slip of the tongue. Of the two listening in on her conversation, Eve was the only one faintly aware of Rose's history. She never spoke about it nor did Eve ever bother to ask. Not that it was a problem for Rose, anyways as the blonde tended to avoid speaking to the Nasod in general. To the rest of the group she was an orphan who had to fend for herself while taking care of her sister, Pet.

A large cargo ship leaving the city rumbled past them, causing the entire airship to sway under the gust of wind and forcing the occupants to hang on to the railing for dear life.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, asshole!" the redhead shouted while their small transport ship stabilized, "You'd think that guy wouldn't even care if he knew we were escorting someone important."

"Honestly, he probably wouldn't," Rose stated, "This is Sander, after all. In this city, everything, even human lives, has a price tag on it. He was probably more worried about his shipment reaching the shores on time than anything else."

"Still, though," Elsword grumbled, then quickly remembering that they were indeed tasked with escorting someone important, "Ah crap, I gotta check on her."

"The emissary's probably still hanging off the aft end of the ship spewing her guts out, especially after that near miss," Rose chuckled.

Elsword groaned, pushing off from the railing to go look for their client, all the while grumbling to himself. "She signs up for a job that requires her to travel and yet anything from birdback to boats causes her to hurl. Clearly she's fit for the task. Just hire Elrios's greatest heroes and put them on bucket duty for the entire trip. No problem..."

Though Eve would never outwardly admit it, she was relieved to see the knight mostly back to his old self. Mostly. It was certainly much different compared to when they initially left Hamel. The young man refused to speak with anyone. Even his sister respected his wish to remain alone. It hurt watching him mourn over Aisha's death and, for a while, the Nasod felt he wouldn't be the headstrong human she was once attracted to. However, seeing him again after nearly a year had passed proved her wrong. The events in Hamel had scarred him both mentally and physically to the point where even Eve was able to pick up when he was trying too hard to mirror his former adolescence. He was still the brash, reckless idiot she remembered him to be, but there was also this tempered cynicism in the way he acted, now. No longer did he use any and all opportunities to poke fun at others or himself. Instead, even though he had openly stated that he was over the loss of Aisha, Eve had caught him numerous times staring off at nothing in particular. Raven called this the "Thousand-mile stare". Even the Nasod was able to garner the significance of such a trance and she was quick to understand why no one would bother him about it.

"Eve?" Rose broke the silence between them and the silver-haired android tilted her head curiously at the blonde.

"Sorry if I, uh, interrupted you. Earlier. Didn't know you were, um, talking. To him. That's all," she spoke without looking at the Nasod. She fidgeted as if she wasn't even sure if the words she was saying made any sense to their listener.

Eve shrugged as a text box appeared above her head.

 _Apology accepted._

The reply caused Rose to purse her lips and she snorted before shaking her head.

A large question mark appeared on the text display, to which Rose waved the question off, "Don't worry about it. We're about to dock, anyways, so we should get ready."

Before she could leave, however, Eve raised a hand signaling for her to wait.

 _You mentioned you've resided here for several years. I have a few questions regarding various points of interest that I'd-_

Rose nodded, half-reading the text message before cutting her off, "Yeah, sorry. This is going to have to wait. Right now we have to go. The dock runs on a tight shift and they've been known to force people off the boarding platforms without all their belongings if they took too long to unload."

"Elsword!" his older sister could be heard in the ship's lower deck, "Hurry up! We're about to dock! I got your pack on me! How's she doing down there?"

"Uh… I'm going to need a mop again; where'd you put it?" Elsword's voice echoed in reply.

"Rose had it last, I think," Elesis shouted. The Blazing Heart was seen stomping out of the lower level, drenched in sweat.

"There you are," the redhead said upon spotting the markswoman, "Hey, newbie, clean up duty. Get to it."

"Who does she think she is calling me a newbie?" Rose shook her head as she turned to Eve, "I'll be right back."

And with that Eve was left with a half written message in display once more. Her hand dropped as she tapped her heel in frustration. This was going to be a long trip.

Raven emerged from the lower deck and approached Eve, he handed Eve her travel bag. "Thanks, again, for coming along with us," the Blade Master said. Yet as the Nasod took the bag, she found herself wrestling against the much stronger grip of the veteran who refused to let go. He continued, "With how small the El Search Party has become, it's nice knowing we can still form a functional group of four."

Raven stared hard into her eyes, concern vividly evident in his gaze before he let go. Eve held her travel bag close to her chest, already well aware of what troubled his usually stoic demeanor.

A heavy clang echoed around them as the transport vessel linked with the waiting dock. The passengers onboard had flocked to the ship's opening gates and were already quickly disembarking, including Elsword, Rose, and Elesis.

Raven hung back with the Nasod as Eve stepped back, averting her eyes as she slowly shook her head.

 _I just needed the means to travel here. Your business with Velder and Sander are none of my concern._

"At least stick around until we figure out our lodging situation. We're on an escort job for Velder nobility, after all. If we're lucky we might be given decent accommodations as part of her guard."

 _But I'm not part of the El Search Party anymore._

"Neither is the markswoman," Raven replied, nodding towards Rose, "But whether you're part of our group or not, you're still our friend."

Eve hesitated at the suggestion and as she expected, the Blade Master took that opportunity to press on.

"I know I'm just repeating myself by saying this, and I know you're not the type to openly seek help from others, nor do we know anything about Nasod coding, but I just want to remind you that we're still here for you. And if it's anything as small as finding you a place to stay, then it's really no bother for us. At least, it isn't for me."

"The human presents a meaningful suggestion, mistress," Remy whistled, "Perhaps it would be best to take advantage of their offer."

 _Fine. But don't expect me to assist you if the situation calls for it. Furthermore, I don't wish to keep all of you waiting for my sake. Once you've finished your business here, I'm perfectly capable of handling my problems alone._

"Got it," Raven said, a content smile crossing his lips, "We're all just worried about you, so don't feel as if you're imposing on us."

The message disappeared as the Nasod hugged herself tightly.

 _And… thank you. I'll try not to be a burden._

The mercenary shrugged lightly, "Don't worry about it. It's not like we have much to do here, after all. We're just here as extra insurance. We'll be out of your hair in a week, tops."

* * *

Eve stared up at an enormous portrait hung up on a wall that towered at least two stories over her. Framed in what appeared to be pure gold was an oil painting of a rather rotund individual who stared back at the viewer with sharp, appraising eyes. Two ends of a long mustache peeked out from under his round nose, accenting the full cheeks and large chin. His smile bore the look of a salesman and his successes were worn in the form of regal off-white and bronze robes. Resting on his circular head sparkled a white and silver sultan's headdress.

 _His Greatness, Sultan Hanna Dafarr_ was inscribed in a golden placard at the bottom of the large painting.

"He's fat," Moby commented.

"His weight has nothing to do with his ability to rule," Remy stated, "Had our mistress been designed to be unreasonably heavy, I'm certain her ability to lead our people would remain largely the same, right mistress?"

Eve tilted her head as she quietly tugged on her dress at her hips before shaking her head in disgust.

"I'd rather be the way I am," her reply read in the group's message log. She turned around and took a seat on the stone bench in front of the picture as she waited for the others to finish speaking to the registrar. " _Searching for someone, please enquire for details_ " were written in big white letters in a large blue display that hung over the Nasod's head.

Despite her rather peculiar yet straightforward request, not a single visitor of the hundreds that came in and out of the palace approached her to assist.

She was beginning to think taking up Raven's offer was a waste of time. Most of the early afternoon had been spent making their way through the busy daytime streets to bring the emissary to Sander officials. Thankfully the one named Rose knew the city well enough to guide the rest of the group to the city's palace. Eve quickly learned, however, that finding their way to the palace was only half the problem.

"What do you mean he's 'booked' for the entire month?!" Elesis slammed her palms against the satin-covered wooden desk, the already warm room growing noticeably hotter as her frustration manifested into an aura of flames around the Blazing Heart. "We've spent almost a week sailing over an ocean, over half a day traveling by air, and two hours waiting in line and now you're to tell me we have to sit around doing nothing for an entire _month_?"

Her voice echoed loudly in Sander Castle's grand registration hall. Lining either side of the expansive hallway were registration desks, manned by over twenty registrars tending to the masses of people who had business with the city's superiors.

Sitting on the other side of the kiosk and the target of the woman's fury was one of Sander Castle's registrar on shift: a balding, lanky, middle-aged man, with narrow shoulders, a long neck and a particularly broad nose. He was dressed in goldish-tan silks and seemed rather unfazed by the Elesis's indignation.

"I'm sorry, madam, but unless your visit is of some importance, I'm afraid you must wait like everyone else. His Greatness is quite the busy man and he has no time to speak to just anyone."

"Do you have _any_ idea who we are?!" Elesis continued.

"Loud and obnoxious?" was the registrar's reply. If Elsword had not been there to hold his sister back, the woman would have most definitely cooked him where he sat.

The younger brother struggled to keep his sister in line while simultaneously motioning to the person they have been tasked to escort.

"Ms. Cleri?" he called in between grunts as he wrestled with Elesis, "Can you explain to this… kind gentleman why we're here?"

Elsword pulled his sister aside as the registrar's attention fell on a rather timid looking young woman. Standing at average height and dressed in the best Velder's artisan tailors could muster - which consisted of a rather long satin noblewoman's cloth draped loosely over her otherwise thin frame and topped with a thick velvet coat lined with golden thread - she looked every bit as sure of herself as a child being asked to plan a wedding.

In one hand she held a clipboard which she used to fan off the beads of sweat that dripped from her face and fogged her thick reading glasses. Her braided brown hair was a mess from the rather windy flight over the desert early and several messy strands stuck unattractively to her thin rosy cheeks. Held in her other hand and pressed close to her chest was an ornate golden box magically sealed shut with hundreds of tiny black runes. As professional as she was made to appear upon arrival in the Sander capital, she looked both frightened and on the verge of collapsing from heat stroke.

"And you are?" the registrar asked, clearly unimpressed by the sight before him.

"C-Cleri, sir. Claire, I mean. Claire Kindlesprite."

"Very well, Ms. Kindlesprite―"

"Cleri is fine."

"Whatever. I take it these are your servants?"

"T-they're my personal guard. Not my servants."

"Hired dogs, then. I'm not going to argue semantics all day: do you wish to schedule a meeting with His Greatness, or must I call on _our_ guards to see you out?" the registrar calmly reached for a bell at the corner of his desk. The castle's soldiers were already clutching their blades at the mere motion.

"That won't be necessary!" Cleri squeaked, "A month's time will do!"

"Hey, wait a minute! No!" Elesis protested, still under her brother's grasp, "His _Greatness_ either sees us now or he sees the bottom of my boot! I'm not wasting a month of my life waiting for a stupid meeting!"

"Elesis! Shut up!" Rose whispered.

The registrar sighed and rang the bell. Immediately the castle guards surrounded the six visitors with scimitars and spears at the ready.

"Elesis?" Raven grumbled, standing back to back with the other five members of the group. He saw the two redheads reaching for their weapons, to which he raised his hand to stop them, "I believe you owe the gentleman an apology."

"Kindly see Ms. Kindlesprite and her _dogs_ out of the palace. Oh and do try to keep them from bleeding on the tile. My bell ringing hand is too tired to call for a cleaner," the registrar said with a shooing motion before turning to the next visitor in line, "Next!"

"But―" Cleri protested only to have a spear brandished inches from her nose.

The group was escorted out of the palace with Elsword and Elesis being thrown out onto the pavement. They found themselves at the top of a stone set of stairs that flanked either side of a large fountain depicting a woman pouring an ever flowing urn of water over her thinly clothed body. The escorting guards stood watch at the doorway, preventing any future access for the El Search Party and leaving them no choice but to make their way down the stairs in defeat. By then, the sun had nearly completely set. The amber glow of electric lamps filled the calmer streets.

"Great!" Elesis exclaimed, "This is just great. We travel halfway around the world as Elrios's most expensive cleaning service for an emissary who can't stand her ground―"

"Elesis… enough," his brother began.

"And then we get told to buzz off 'cus 'His Greatness' is too busy shoving coins up his ass to see us!"

By then Eve had lost interest in the conversation between the humans. She pulled away from the group, bright blue sign still hanging over her head as she idly let her legs carry her across the length of the courtyard towards the palace's main exit. The streets were far less busy with businesses closing for the day. Her chances of gaining any info had substantially fallen at this point and she deleted the display with a flick of her wrist.

The static had returned - rather, it had never left. With calmer streets and more time to sort her thoughts, Eve's focus had returned to the same encrypted static feed that her sensors had been picking up since that morning. At this point, Eve didn't know what to make of it. It would take some time to decrypt the transmission and she wasn't sure if it would be worth her time dedicating her limited resources to work on it.

Through all of the static, though, she could still hear Elesis firing off complaint after complaint at the other four.

"Elesis! I said that's enough!" her brother ordered.

"Yeah? I heard you. So what then? My point is: we were sent here to this hot, miserable desert and now we're expected to just turn around and go home? Let me remind you we don't get paid for a job half done. If we go home with Cleri not doing her job it means everything we've spent on expenses comes straight out of our pocket. And we're not exactly swimming in ED, here. Not since Mr. Leader-of-the-Black-Crows decided to blow nearly all of our cash buying out the loyalty of a bunch of crooks!"

Eve watched as the Blazing Heart pointed an accusatory finger at Raven. The Nasod had seen him caught in these situations enough to expect the mercenary to return fire with a well-phrased remark that would shut Elesis down. Surprisingly he said nothing. Not even an attempt to silence Elesis was made when he almost always would have done so. Instead the mercenary let the redhead go on her verbal tirade until she simply ran out of steam.

"You done?" Raven asked as silence finally befell them, the sound of Elesis quietly huffing and puffing sustained the tension in the air.

Elesis sighed. "Yeah," she nodded as she flopped at the fountains edge, "Yeah. I'm just... It's just been a long, rough, day."

"It has been for all of us," Raven agreed.

"I'm sorry," Elesis continued, "I know what you all are thinking. I stepped out of line. I shouldn't have…"

Elesis pounded her knuckles into the hard limestone.

"Cleri?" her voice was direct and sudden, enough to cause the young emissary to jump, "What I said about you earlier, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"Oh!" the brown-haired woman waved it off sheepishly, "No. Everything you've mentioned regarding me is well justified. I never really traveled further than Velder's outer walls in my life. Me being here is the result of a well connected family and a silly dream of one day experiencing the world in person rather than through books. I just… never imagined traveling would be so taxing on my body."

"Still. What I did was stupid. What I said to you was just plain mean. And for that, I'm sorry," Elesis muttered, letting her head drop apologetically.

"We just need a break," Raven nodded, "We'll start fresh tomorrow morning. Find a place to stay in the meantime. Preferably some place affordable."

"I know a few cheap rooms we can rent," Rose chimed in. "Depending on how sure you are of keeping an eye on your valuables, I can show you some decent inn locations."

"How about somewhere sensible and not at the expense of peace of mind? I'd rather not have to worry about thieves tonight," Elsword groaned.

"I have just the place," the blonde replied.

Their client called for their attention as she tentatively dug through her travel bag for her money pouch. "Um… and if it helps, I can foot the bill for tonight. I understand you all are short on money so this is the least I could do to pay you back."

Hearing this caused Elesis to glance over at Raven excitedly who, after taking a moment to consider the offer, accepted it. "We don't usually take advantage of generous offers like this," he stated, "But we'll repay you. I promise you that."

"No, don't worry about it, really. It's my pleasure!" Cleri reassured him.

"In that case I'll have a few drinks courtesy of Ms. Kindlesprite!" the Blazing Heart exclaimed, throwing a welcoming arm over the emissary's shoulder. She waved at the Nasod who had been standing near the entrance of the courtyard, staring quietly past the gate, since the group had been forced out of the palace. "You hear that Eve? Drinks are on Cleri, tonight! You should join us!"

* * *

The moon was full tonight. With the city lights, it was impossible to pick out any of the constellations. This was strange to Eve: seeing a human city so active at the late hours of the night was unusual even for Velder's capital. Even though most of the businesses had closed, many of Sander's residence flocked to the late night bars and taverns. This was quickly apparent when the inn Rose took them to was flooded with bar patrons. Initially, Eve took this as a prime opportunity to continue her search. However, despite sitting in the middle of the tavern with a large sign over her head, no one seemed to want to speak to her. She garnered the occasional sideways glance of curiosity every now and again but after a quick appraisal of whoever was looking, they would quickly ignore her.

She didn't want to speak with any of them, anyways. The scents of alcohol and tobacco that assaulted her senses were too much to handle and the patrons' overall rowdy demeanor was simply abhorrent. If Eve were to make a list of things she despised most about the human species, their overindulgence would definitely be among the top in the list. It was enough reason for Eve to abandon her search for the night and resign herself to one of the two-person rooms Rose rented for them.

The door squeaked open and the loud jubilations of drunks singing their cares away flooded the room before the soft click of the door brought the volume back to a soft muffle. Eve turned to find the emissary doing her best to remain as unnoticeable as possible as she tentatively set her belongings aside for the night.

There wasn't much to the room save for two mattress boards and a single nightstand with an unused oil lantern resting on top. With no means to light the lantern, Remy sat on the nightstand, pointing her headlights upward and filling the room with its bright fluorescent glow. As Rose mentioned, the rooms were cheap. They were safe, given the fact that each room had a lock, but the wooden boards weren't going to be enjoyable to sleep on.

"I guess you and I will be roommates, huh?" her voice squeaked quietly from the other end of the room.

Eve didn't answer and instead returned her attention to the window overlooking the stone rooftops of an amber-lit district. Cleri didn't seem to mind being ignored. In fact, she seemed quite content with Eve's lack of words. The Nasod heard the roommate shuffling through her bag. There was a distinct pause in movement followed by a clearing of her throat to grab Eve's attention.

The Nasod turned her head to her once more only to find Cleri pointing at the black drone hovering at Eve's side. Moby was looking at Cleri who seemed hesitant to change in front of her companion. The Nasod Queen placed a hand on the drone's head, gently rotating it around to face out the window with her.

"Thank you," Cleri muttered passively as she began to undo her layers of regal clothing.

The shuffling continued for a few minutes more before a soft "Okay!" was uttered. No one but Moby turned around, garnering a light chuckle from Eve's roommate.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Cleri asked, prompting Eve to look over her shoulder at her.

The Nasod pointed at her throat, making a cutting motion with her hand afterwards to depict her inability to speak. Cleri tilted her head at Eve and the Nasod sighed, turning fully to the emissary.

She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and opening her mouth as a garbled, almost indecipherable voice came through like a broken audio speaker.

"I. Can't. Speak."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know," Cleri replied, putting a hand over her mouth.

A blue display box appeared hovering next to Eve's head and a single word appeared in white text.

 _Apparently._

"Forgive me. I tend to keep to myself around new people. I just always saw you as the quiet type. I didn't know you literally couldn't talk."

Eve tilted her head to the side, her golden eyes pulling away from the annoyance sitting on the bed in front of her.

 _I prefer to omit communication because of it._

"I see," Cleri nodded. It seemed as if the conversation was to be left as that, but Eve could still feel the woman's gaze on her.

 _What do you want?_

"Sorry. It's just… you're really a Nasod, aren't you?"

 _Isn't that obvious?_

"Sorry! I never ever saw one in my life. I just read about them in books. I always thought Nasods looked more… mechanical. But you look just like a real person!"

Eve's brow furrowed at that.

 _I_ am _a real person._

"Oh. Oops, sorry. I didn't―"

 _Stop saying sorry._

"Ah! You're right, sorr― I mean, okay," Cleri stopped to catch up with her thoughts. She exhaled, calming herself down before speaking, "I just think it's amazing that's all. Looking at you, that is. At first glance you could easily be mistaken as human. But your ears, the blue gem hidden under your bangs, the companions following you… you're most certainly something more."

 _Your point being...?_

Cleri shrugged, "I don't know. I figured maybe that's why people are hesitant to approach you."

Eve's eyes narrowed.

 _What do you mean?_

"Y-your sign. It said you're searching for someone. I don't know who it is you're searching for but your way of approaching the situation is a bit… peculiar."

 _I can't speak. The sign is necessary._

"I'm not saying it isn't. But you'd think at least one person would've approached you by now asking what all this was about, right?"

The Nasod rubbed her chin in thought.

 _I suppose you're correct. It's odd that not a single human has at least enquired about my situation._

"There are other ways to gather information," Cleri nodded.

 _Should I use force, then?_

"Goodness, no!" the emissary exclaimed, hand over her chest in shock, "I mean I can help you. Maybe people are intimidated that you're a Nasod. Maybe I would be able to assist you in getting others to speak."

 _I'd rather let you finish your business and be on your way._

"In my spare time, I mean. I don't know if you've heard but the earliest I can meet His Greatness is a month from now, assuming they even let me see him. That's a lot of free time. If we don't go home empty handed right away, I can perhaps assist you with your troubles."

 _Why do you insist on helping me?_

Cleri groaned, dropping her head in self-depreciation, "I've been a burden to all of you for the entire trip. And now, with the possibility of us coming home with nothing to show for it, I feel absolutely terrible knowing the esteemed El Search Party had to babysit me on a botched trip to Sander. The least I could do is foot the bill for tonight and help you all as much as I can. And that's why I want to do what I can for you, too."

Eve crossed her arms, sighing as she tapped her heel in annoyance.

 _Let me get one thing straight between you and I: I am not part of the El Search Party._

Cleri blinked, "You're not? But according to the contract, it stated―"

 _I quit the El Search Party nearly one year ago. I'm only here because you were aboard the only ship heading to Sander at the time. Us traveling together and lodging together are merely because I took Raven's generosity to fund for my stay while the El Search Party handles their business here. Given my circumstances, I took up his offer under the impression you would only be here for a week. The situation has changed, however, and from the looks of things, you are either leaving soon or waiting an entire month to complete your objective. I am not going to take advantage of Raven's offer if that's the case. I do not like being a burden to others and I prefer working alone if I could manage it._

Eve turned her attention back to the window as the message faded away to make room for another string of text.

 _That being said, I am under no obligation to care for you. I don't want your assistance nor should you expect any in return. After tonight, I'd prefer it if we go our separate ways. I'll worry about my problems and you'll worry about yours. Understood?_

The text hung in the air as Cleri quietly read her explanation, disappearing only when the emissary muttered a dispirited "okay" under her breath. She heard Cleri shuffle around on the wooden board and it sounded like she was turning in for the night. Eve waited a moment after the shuffling ceased, her focus returning to idly decrypting the static that persisted in the back of her mind before glancing over her shoulder at the emissary.

Cleri was staring at Remy, hand tentatively extended towards the white drone as she searched for some kind of switch.

 _Do you want the light off?_

"I-if it doesn't bother you, yes, please."

A holographic display of a dial appeared in front of her and she turned it counter-clockwise. Remy's headlights simultaneously dimmed to a faint glow, bathing the entire room in shadow.

"Good night, Ms. Eve."

There was a long pause as Eve's display window remained empty, though it quickly became apparent that Cleri was waiting for a response. The Nasod relented.

 _Good night._

Nothing else was said afterwards, though Eve could have sworn she heard the emissary mutter something the Nasod couldn't quite catch before exhaustion got the better of her and she fell asleep.

"She thinks you're 'cool'," Remy whirred in simulated amusement.


	4. Chapter 3: Unwelcomed

**A/N: Special thanks to Aevari, Rave, Tin, Nico and Luna for your edits and feedback! Thanks for your patience, I just couldn't get this chapter to come out right and it took several rewrites to reach the final product you see today. The previous versions of this chapter were much different but I'm glad I scrapped it for this one. Yes, its the beginning of the story and yes there's a bit more introduction and world building that goes around but it'll be worth it. Comments and feedback on the story's development so far would be a big help and is greatly appreciated!**

* * *

They had traveled as far as Irim could take them. The entire day was spent flying over the blindingly white mountains that separated Senace Kingdom from the expansive dunes of Sander's desert. By the time night had fallen, the mountain range had vanished in the horizon, putting the king and his accompanying guardian deep in unfamiliar territory.

Chung never imagined how eerily similar the dunes and snow-flooded mountains looked under the pale half-moon light. Had it not been for the king's ability to direct Irim with nothing more than a dated map and astronavigation, they would never have found the tradepost his father used to visit many years ago.

Finding the tradepost, unfortunately, was the only good news for the weary travelers.

Just as Denka had warned, the demon infestation that befell Senace gave the tradepost little reason to remain functional and it had been abandoned for many years. All that was left was a dusty, crumbling husk of wood and stone, worn out by frequent sandstorms and disrepair.

Chung managed to find only a simple signpost directing them towards villages and other general points of interest hundreds of kilometers in the distance; an impossible task on foot but manageable on dragonback. With a tough decision to turn back to Hamel or to continue on in search of one of these landmarks, Chung ultimately decided to at least attempt to search for one of the closer villages with Irim's assistance. It seemed Garpai Village was the closest option for them.

The largest of the Hamelings was more than happy to assist with the extended trip, but the King knew the ice dragon's limits when it came to heat. If they had not found a village among the expansive sea of dunes by midnight, then they were to turn right around and head back to the frosty mountains before daybreak.

And so they flew.

With exhausted eyes glued to the horizon and a time limit in their minds, Chung, Irim, and Zuzu scoured the seemingly endless desert for any sign of civilization. Even with the unhindered light of the moon, searching for a blemish against pale-grey desert was an astoundingly difficult task.

It was only when they reached what Chung assumed was Garpai Rock that they eventually found the village that they had been searching for.

Standing out like a dark, jagged bone protruding from the sands, it would be hard to miss Garpai Rock. Its jagged rocks shot straight up into the sky, tall enough to kiss the gathering clouds high above it. At least, the travelers initially thought they were clouds. As Irim drew closer, however, a narrow vertical funnel was visible connecting the mountain with the build up of dust. Drawing closer, gusts of wind assaulted the travelers as dust and sand peppered them and obscured their vision. It was an unnatural sandstorm. The way it formed in a disk at the mountain's narrow peak proved it to be anything but natural. The Hameling wisely veered away from Garpai Rock, instead taking them around to the otherside of the natural landmark. Once on the other side, however, a light caught the travelers' attention in the distance. Flying towards it revealed exactly what they were looking for.

It was a town large enough to support a population nearing the thousands protected by a hexagonal-shaped wall. Nothing stood over two-stories tall with the exception of a single three-story building that clearly functioned as a seasonal hotel for Garpai Rock tourism. The rest of the town consisted of basic residential and commercial necessities required to support a village in the middle of the desert. The market square, which stood at the center of Garpai Village, was oddly lit up despite it nearly being midnight by the time the three arrived.

As they drew closer, Chung identified the lights as a gathering of torches around the square's center stage. Out of uncertainty of what would happen should the Hameling be spotted, he ordered Irim to drop them off beyond the village's walls.

As he disembarked, Chung felt a strange unfamiliar thickness that hung in the air. He had imagined the desert to be drier but the air was humid with this strange scent.

"You know how to get back from here, right?" Chung asked the dragon who grunted in acknowledgement.

"Good, If you hurry you should be able to reach the mountains before sunrise if you don't stop. Thanks for bringing us all the way out here―"

As Chung turned away from the Hameling, the beast caught him by his scarf, nearly causing the young king to fall over.

"What?"

The dragon looked into the young man's puppy paw eyes and tilted its head, snorting quietly before motioning at the village. If the king had to guess, Irim was concerned about him.

"Don't worry, Irim, we can handle ourselves from here. We'll find our way to Sander and be back here… in maybe a week's time… Yeah. Just come back to this village after a week and we should have finished our business by then."

Irim's lips were pulled downward into a clear frown as its focus turned to the distant crag and its swirling sandstorm that the king obviously wasn't interested in acknowledging.

"Just fly around it."

The Hameling shook its head and butted his nose against the king's chest, bringing the concern back to him.

Chung sighed and stared up at the swirling pillar of dust. He was curious about it but he knew there were far more important matters to attend to. "That thing doesn't concern us. Our business is with the capital and nothing more. Come back in a week, alright?"

Irim let out a whimpering growl as it backed away.

"Alright?" Chung asked again, his voice more commanding this time.

"King Seiker!" Zuzu whispered as he peeked around the rock, "They spotted us! They got a patrol coming over right now!"

The king gritted his teeth and shooed the dragon away. "A week, got it?"

The dragon expanded its wings, giving him an angry snort before taking to the skies. The sight of the white beast's scales gleaming in the moonlight startled the five guards who immediately took to aiming their crossbows at it.

"Don't shoot!" Zuzu leapt out from behind the rock, bringing all the attention to him as well as the wooden sights of the guard's crossbows.

"That was our ride," Chung added, calmly as he rounded the cover of the rock with his arms raised, "It's just us two."

"What are you doing here? What the hell was that thing?" One of the guards asked, motioning the others to keep their distance. It was five in total, and two scanned the surrounding area for an ambush.

The guards were on edge. Chung could see it in their wide-eyed expression and the way their hands shook as they held their weapons. Even under the dim torchlight, Chung could see the heavy bags under each guard's eyes. Zuzu caught this, as well and nodded at his king in acknowledgement. This was a situation that could end badly if they so much as took a step towards them.

Slowly Zuzu raised his arms as well, showing he meant no harm. "We're just weary travelers from Hamel looking for a place to stay. That thing you saw was a Hameling."

"Hamel was lost years ago. There's no way one of those beasts still exists," the guard replied, motioning the two guards flanking him to inspect the visitors.

"Well, Hamel came back," Zuzu said.

"Yeah, that's a load of shit," another guard grunted, stepping closer and poking at the large white bags slung over each of their shoulders with the tip of the scimitar.

"Open it," the one next to Chung ordered, stepping back as the king unslung the bag and set it down carefully on the ground.

"Just so you know, it's a weapon. So don't be ala―"

"A weapon?!" the leader of the patrol shouted, prompting all of the other guards to stand back.

"Hands off the bags right now!"

Chung and Zuzu found themselves staring down the wrong end of several crossbows once more as they backed away with their arms raised.

"It's a cannon!" Zuzu replied, "Two of them! I don't want to get in a shouting match so―"

"These two are armed!"

"We're not armed! The weapons are sitting right there in front of you. We don't have any―"

"Don't move! If either of you move we're going to shoot!"

"We're _not_ moving! Holy El. Look, we're not moving! You can see for yourself. It's our personal protection."

The leader of the patrol gave the order and one of the men inched closer to the large wrapped weapons on the ground. All the while the crossbows remained trained at both of the Hamelian's heads.

"Tell them nothing but the truth and it only ends up making the situation worse," Zuzu grumbled under his breath.

"You think it'd be better if we lied?" Chung whispered back.

"No. But I find it strange that we've lived in our own little world just trying to get by and the moment we step out of it, we learn that we don't even exist to our closest neighbors."

It was true. The guards thought Senace to be a lost kingdom although it had been almost a year since they had been liberated. Chung may have sent a handful of Velder soldiers home but he never considered the story the Velderians would leave on their report. Did anyone outside of Hamel even know they were alive?

"Just keep quiet for now," Chung sighed, "I'm sure after they're done with their inspection we can get a good night's rest and continue our journey first thing in the morning."

* * *

"Lock them up!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Hang them!" another jeered while the two Hamelians stood trial at the village's market square.

A woman dressed in the reddish brown guard's uniform stood between the Hamelians. The golden sash wrapped around her torso clearly designated her rank above the standard soldier. She did nothing to calm the crowd. Rather, she encouraged it, nodding at each suggestion as she took them into consideration.

"If they're working with the harpies, I say we skip the formalities and lop off their heads here and now!" a third villager suggested, getting a resounding cheer from the rest of the village.

Chung wrestled with the ropes binding his wrists together. He could feel the threads beginning to snap under his strength. At any point in time, he could break it if he so chose to, but the king knew that if they were going to earn the people's trust, it wouldn't be through breaking out of captivity and fighting their way out of the village.

As long as they weren't under any immediate danger, the king had to keep the illusion that they were under their mercy.

"For the last time, we are _not_ working for the harpies," Zudrich shouted over the crowd, "We're not working for anyone! We're travelers looking for a place to rest for the night!"

"Lies!" the crowd shouted back.

"Kill the bandits!"

"No matter what you say you can't convince them otherwise," the captain whispered as the crowd continued to call for their deaths, "You're outsiders. We don't trust you."

A large man wearing a black mask stepped onto the stage. The glint of steel caught the king's eye in the form of a giant scimitar. If he were going to do something it had to be now. They seemed far too eager to have them executed to wait for a formal sentence from anyone.

"But they want to kill us! That's too much!" Chung reasoned, "We did nothing wrong."

"You flew in on a harpy. That's more than enough reason for us."

"We are not bandits!" Chung said, keeping a close eye on the blade and holding the rope taught, ready to break, "My name is Chung Seiker and my friend Zudrich and I both hail from Hamel. What you saw was not a harpy but a Hameling! We only ask for a place to stay for the night. If we are not allowed to stay, then let us see ourselves out. Even if we were bandits, an execution is far too extreme."

The mention of Senace caused the crowd to erupt in a louder wave of jeers and mocking laughter.

"The thieves take us for fools!" the captain shouted. She drew her scimitar, pointing it at Chung accusingly, "What other lies are you going to spout? That you're the King of Hamel? That Senace somehow, by some miracle, survived that slaughter despite being destroyed years ago?"

Chung gritting his teeth as he looked the woman dead in her eyes.

"Yes," he answered in a defiant manner. What else could he say? As ridiculous as it may sound, she was right.

The captain's face contorted in clear disgust as she shook her head. "Unbelievable." She looked at the executioner and gave him a nod.

The weight of the wooden boards under them shifted as he felt the man wind up for a swing. Chung tugged on the rope, forcing the threads to rip from his strength.

"Silence!" a voice boomed louder than the crowd of people gathered at the market square. All eyes immediately turned to the source. It was a grandiose-looking two-story estate tiled with jade greens and reddish brown marble. A gate separated a small but densely forested garden of exotic blooms from the market square. Standing at a balcony, overlooking the stage, was a figure engulfed by a soft glowing white aura no brighter than the surrounding torchlight. To the king, the speaker was only a shadowy silhouette with glowing yellow-golden eyes. "You all chose a perfect time in the dead of night to form a rambunctious mob. I will have no more of this. Disperse immediately. Some of us are trying to get some sleep."

The volume of the individual's voice was magically enhanced in such a way that, for Chung, it sounded as if he was speaking directly in front of him. It was clear, and drowned out the voices of the rest of the crowd as he spoke.

"Well?" the man continued, seeing as no one was willing to move, "I said disperse!"

"Master Lewry," the captain of the guard bowed deeply and kept her head lowered as she spoke, "These men have been caught just outside our city walls. Reports say that a winged beast had carried them here."

"Yes, as if I couldn't hear all of you shouting. Release them."

"But, Master Lewry, they're clearly working with the enemy―"

The shadowy figure set his sights on the captain. The action, alone, caused the crowd surrounding the stage to cower in fear as some immediately fled the scene.

"Set them free," the captain ordered in a panic, prompting the executioner to cut the prisoners loose. Upon releasing the two of their bindings both the captain and the executioner stepped back, bowing graciously as they made themselves scarce from the stage. Chung and Zudrich were the only ones on the stage at this point and the man at the balcony eyed them for a long moment.

"King Seiker, correct?"

Chung nodded, "I swear to you, I speak the truth."

Another long pause. The glowing eyes narrowed as he judged the young king. Finally the figure motioned them to approach.

"Come. I'll allow you my hospitality for tonight."

The gates to his estate opened by some invisible force as the plants itself parted to reveal a pathway. The pathway led to two large wooden doors where two servants waited to welcome them. Before Chung could even begin to ask questions, the shadowy figure had already left the balcony. The two Hamelian's looked at each other.

"Should we take his invitation?" Zudrich asked, apprehensive about the whole thing, "The entire village seems to fear him."

"He just saved our lives and I don't think we'd be safer staying anywhere else in this village, honestly," Chung replied, gathering his things.

"Saved our lives? I would've handled the situation had your life been in any real danger."

"I know you would have, Zuzu. Thanks. But fighting Garpai Village wouldn't be an ideal scenario when we're trying to form an alliance with Sander. That's why we're here. Remember that. We'll just see what this guy is all about and if we don't like it we'll just leave."

"As you say, my king."

"And please, just call me Chung. We're not in Senace anymore so you won't have to worry about Denka hounding you on how you address me."

"Right."

As they crossed the gates onto the estate grounds, Chung became acutely aware of the existence of the invisible weight in the air once more - or rather the lack of it. As soon as he stepped onto the mysterious man's property, it was as if the humidity of the air vanished. There was a quality of freshness about it that existed beyond the scent of exotic flora. Zudrich followed close behind, all the while scanning the thick foliage of the garden for any signs of an ambush or trap. After what had happened, Chung couldn't blame the guardian's hesitancy. Despite what their mysterious savior had done for them, Chung couldn't trust him right away, either.

Through the double doors, past the servants that gestured them, was a beautifully decorated grand hall. On the first floor were potted plants that flanked either side of the stone stairway. The walls were lined with a dark wooden finish and hung with paintings depicting exotic landscapes from all over the world. Rooms leading to a dining room a kitchen and a study could be seen from the first floor. Two stone pillars supported an upper loft area and from where Chung was standing he could see shelves lined with a collection of expensive looking vases and statuettes of varying degrees of value. Pearly-white tiles glimmered from the bright glass chandelier that hung above the dome-shaped room.

Just as notably impressive as the decor was the amount of security that occupied the room. From the entrance alone, Chung counted six guards, armoured more heavily than the ones that patrolled the streets of the village. They all stood rigidly at their posts with an air of discipline that exceeded the common soldier; a cut above the rest. They didn't even appear to belong in this region as the materials for their uniform were of a thicker thread than the thin layers of the desert guards.

A man robed in dark, exotic silks descended the stairs. He was tall; almost as tall as Zudrich in height but very thin in comparison. His hair was a sun-bleached greyish-silver that looked as if it used to be black many years ago. Faint wrinkles were visible along his face and, if Chung had to guess, he looked as if he were nearing his forties. Perhaps the most striking in his appearance was his yellow-gold eyes, and he looked upon them with the piercing gaze of a hawk. He was wary of the two, and his guest were wary of him.

"Welcome! And good evening, your majesty, to my estate," The man descending the stairway stopped at the halfway point, spreading his arms in a practiced warm gesture, "I'm certain you'll find my accomodations far more suitable to your regal tastes than the ones offered at that commoner's hotel of theirs."

"Your… majesty?" Chung repeated, baffled to hear those words after being labeled a liar by the rest of the village, "So you believe my story?"

"But of course. You are, without a doubt, the son of the White Colossus," Gerard continued as he descended down the remaining steps, "You're the spitting image of him, minus the shorter hair of course. But where are my manners? My name is Gerard Lewry, Archmage and former member of the Seven Tower organization. I'm honored to stand at the presence of Hamel's newest king." Once at the bottom he gave Chung a deep bow.

"Uh… it's a pleasure to meet you, too… Master Lewry?" Chung dipped his head in a small bow, unsure on how to properly address him.

Gerard's lips were pulled to the side as he tilted his head at the way Chung greeted him. Then something dawned in the man's eyes as he straightened himself, smiling. "You're new to this, aren't you?" Chung winced after being called out so quickly, Gerard continued, "No matter. I'm sure it'll all come to you in due time. But I digress. You must be exhausted from your journey."

"Yes, we've been traveling for almost a full day," the king chuckled.

He clapped his hands together, "Servants! See to his majesty's needs. A proper guest room and a warm bath, if you will." With that, the maids bowed and began the preparations.

"Have you eaten, your highness?"

"I had a ration a few hours ago so I should be fine," Chung waved, dismissively.

"That's hardly a proper diet! Servants? A hot meal, too," Gerard added.

"Your majesty," a rather pretty maid curtsied before him and offered to lead him to the guest room. She extended a hand for his large bag slung over his shoulder and he shook his head.

"I doubt you can carry it," he said, not mentioning the cannon hidden underneath the wraps.

"As you wish."

"I'll have the meal sent to your quarters after your bath," Gerard said as Chung was led away.

"What about Zudrich?" Chung asked, stopping at a doorway on the first floor that lead to another hall.

"Your servant?" Gerard turned to the fury guardian who smiled at the archmage as he scratched his head. The archmage didn't return the gesture and merely turned his head away. "Find a place for that one, as well."

* * *

Chung had forgotten what it was like sleeping in a proper bed. Since he left his home years ago, he was lucky to even have a roof over his head that didn't leak when it rained. Even when he was detained in his room during the fight for Hamel, Chung found it difficult to find comfort laying on the dusty, rusted springs of his mattress. Since the reclamation, Chung was only able to find comfort in an old moldy mattresses found among the piles of trash within the waterway.

Naturally, sleep was quick to find the young king as soon as he touched the soft down cushions. The food that was left for him at his door was all but forgotten as he slipped into a deep sleep. It was the best rest he had in years. Half the morning sped by and it was only when the warm rays caught his eye through the cracks of the curtain that he stirred.

He sat up quickly, startled by his unfamiliar surroundings. It took him a moment to remember where he was. Resting on a stand by the doorway was his freshly laundered clothes. The food that had been left for him overnight had been replaced with a pitcher of freshly brewed coffee and a hearty assortment of potatoes and eggs. This was new to him - not that he was complaining about it - but the luxury felt a bit too foreign for a king who spent most of his life worrying about whether he'd even have food on the table to begin with.

The king changed back into his travel clothes and checked the contents of his cannon case before looking over the breakfast that was prepared for him. The coffee was still hot to the touch.

As he poured himself a cup, the sound of a child's laughter could be heard beyond his door followed by two pairs of feet running down the hall. They stopped at his door and proceeded to whisper among each other. Chung quietly ate his meal as he listened. They were there for some time and it seemed they might have been waiting for him. He crammed a few more mouthfuls of the filling breakfast and slung his travel case over his shoulder before opening the door and nearly running headlong into three people just outside: Zudrich and two children. The eldest was a girl roughly in her early teens. She had short, mint green hair tied into a small ponytail by a white ribbon. Sage green eyes stared up at Zudrich with curiosity and wonder at the man's tall and muscular frame. She wore a flowing white robe with a green tribal-looking mantle on her shoulders. The youngest of the two, a young boy no older than five stood next to her. He had messy dark grey hair that was only half combed while the other half remained unkempt and forgotten. He wore dark blue silks laced with gold that were one size too big for him as it fell well past his feet. Yellow-golden eyes stared at Zudrich not with curiosity but with a mix of confusion and discontent.

It was when Chung had appeared that Zudrich turned his attention to the young king, giving the youngest of the two children the opportunity to give the guardian a hard kick to the shin. Having experienced far worse trauma before, Zudrich was largely unfazed. Still it didn't stop the boy from taking off laughing down the hallway.

"Edwin! Come back here! Apologize to the man, this instant!" the girl scolded. Unfortunately her reprimanding fell on deaf ears as the boy was long gone before she even had a chance to finish. She turned to the guardian, giving him a deep bow, "I'm sorry! I'll tell him off!" And with that, she quickly chased after the boy.

Zudrich was leaning against the wall by the bedroom door, dressed and ready to go. From the looks of it, he had been waiting by his door for some time.

"Good morning, Chung," he said, ignoring what just happened to him, "Sleep well?"

"Haven't had a proper bed like that in ages," Chung yawned, "How about you?"

Zudrich shrugged, "It wasn't anything special."

"You seem to be getting along with the kids. Who were they?"

"Probably Master Lewry's kids," the guardian grunted, "Are we ready to go?"

"Hold on, Zuzu. I haven't had the chance to thank him for the hospitality. He did save our skin, afterall."

"As you say," the guardian sighed.

Chung proceeded down the hallway of Gerard's estate, taking in the old, rustic view of the village shadowed by Garpai rock just beyond a large window he passed. The king hadn't noticed last night due to the other more pressing events, but now that he had time to think, he felt that this hall - or rather, the entire Lewry estate - was… out of place. Garpai village, overall, seemed like the typical backwater town living off the lifeline of tourism. Buildings looked run down and its inhabitants seemed worse off than some of the homeless in Velder. Yet despite all the poverty in Garpai Village, the Lewry estate stood at the center of it all like a giant middle finger to the surrounding civilians. Why would someone with that much wealth choose to live here? How could they even earn that much money by living here? Gerard did mention something about being a former member of Seven Tower, though Chung wasn't sure what this Seven Tower organization even was. He felt as if he should know; as if he had heard someone mention this organization to him years ago, though he couldn't remember who.

He noted the slight orange tinge of the mid-morning sky attributed largely by the swirling cone of dust at the highest tip of the craggy mountain. This was the same pillar of dust that threatened to knock Chung and Zudrich off Irim during their initial arrival. It looked larger now; more rampant. He remembered last night's mention of harpies that had put the villagers on edge. "Did the storm on top of the mountain have anything to do with it," he wondered. That was something he had to ask the archmage about once he found him.

It wasn't difficult to find Gerard. A maid had been waiting for them when Chung and Zudrich entered the grand hall and ushered them to a second level room. Its walls were covered from floor to ceiling with books and scrolls from different regions, each written in their own native tongue. Desks and tables dotted the wooden tile floors with notes sprawled messily over each and every one of them. Master Lewry was found sitting on a lounge chair next to an unlit fireplace, scribbling on a well-worn journal with a feather pen. The maid that had guided the two Hamelians to her master quietly stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

A woman stood over Gerard's shoulder, leaning on the backrest as she watched him write. She had long, raven hair, and wore a mix of sage green and white linens typical of Caluso's tribal style. Much of her tanned skin was visible on the waist up and left little to the imagination with how transparent some of the layers of clothing was. Under those layers Chung noticed visible scars that lined her torso and arms. The initial thought was she was abused but looking at the way she held herself - the sharp, almost glowing green eyes, the toned body and the calloused hands - revealed anything but that. She was a fighter… and a pregnant one at that seeing as there was a noticeable bump in her belly.

"Ah, good morning, King Seiker," Gerard greeted, closing his journal and rising off his seat, "The maid's say you were sleeping soundly. I trust you are well rested, then?"

"Best sleep in years, honestly," Chung smiled, "And the freshly made breakfast was good, too."

"Excellent. Good to know time magic still has its uses."

"Erm, time magic, Master Lewry?"

"A stasis spell: harmless and practical in controlled cases, unpredictable and dangerous to the ill-prepared. In your case, your breakfast was actually made hours ago. But proper application of El can make it seem as if it were fresh off the skillet."

"You practice time magic?"

"Used to, your majesty. But no longer. Not after I quit the Seven Tower."

"Why'd you quit?"

"Several reasons, really. You don't earn the title of archmage by studying the harmless or mundane. What the Seven Towers sought from my expertise was a bit beyond my moral threshold. That… and I met this lovely lady," he gestured to the woman standing behind him, "This is my wife, Nerin. Nerin? This is his royal highness, King Chung Seiker."

Nerin half-curtsied towards the king and Chung regarded her with a bow.

"Her way of dress… is she from the Caluso tribe?" Chung asked.

"Very astute of you! Yes, she is. The daughter of the Great Chieftain."

"Karu," Nerin added, a thick accent easily noticeable from the single word she uttered.

"Wait, _the_ Great Chieftain? As in the leader of the Caluso tribe?"

"The very same," Gerard nodded.

"I thought the Caluso shunned outsiders, especially those from Sander. The same goes for Sander nobility, don't they hate Caluso?"

"Therein lies yet another reason why I left Seven Tower."

"And my father thinks I've eloped with another Caluso man," Nerin chuckled she turned to Gerard, "I imagine he's furious under that assumption. He'd kill you on sight had he learned it was you I've run off with."

"Such is the price of love," the archmage sighed.

Just then the doors to the study burst open and the young boy from earlier charged in, screaming in laughter as the girl chased after him.

His running came to a screeching halt upon seeing the two guests and his laughter died just as quickly.

"Ah. And here are reasons number three and four for leaving the organization," Gerard said, "Your majesty, this is my son, Edwin. Edwin, show some manners. You stand before the King of Hamel. And the lovely young lady behind him is Anduran, my wife's niece."

"Yeah, we met already." Chung knelt down to the boy's level and giving him a smile, "Hello there."

The boy scrunched his face at Chung, as if he were judging him on how young the king was. He bowed, nonetheless but then turned and pointed at Zudrich.

"Daddy? Why is this commoner in your study, as well?"

"I ain't a commoner, kid," Zudrich growled.

"Then why were you sleeping in the stables?" Edwin retorted, sticking his tongue out at him.

Chung's brow furrowed as he rose to his feet, "What were you doing sleeping in the stables?"

"They ran out of guest rooms, apparently," Zudrich replied.

"No, that's not right. I saw a few open rooms on the way to the one I was staying in."

Zudrich shrugged, "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm used to roughing it. I'm just glad to have a place to rest."

"That's no way to speak to his servant, Edwin," Gerard scolded, "And, King Seiker, surely you understand: my guest rooms are reserved for nobility only. I'm sure he didn't mind, anyways. As he said sleeping on the ground is what he's used to after all."

Chung dropped his head slightly, clearly unhappy with the way they treated his guardian. "Everyone has had to sleep on the floor at some point. Even me―"

Edwin giggled, "What kind of king has to sleep on the floor!"

Chung ignored him, "He's not my servant. He's a guardian of Hamel. He's laid his life on the line for the good of our kingdom and I demand you treat him with the same respect as you would towards me."

"So no respect, then, since you're poor!" the child laughed.

"Edwin!" Gerard scolded, causing the boy to scurry out of the room giggling, "Forgive him, King Seiker. He's… had a life of luxury up until now."

"I couldn't tell," Zudrich said through gritted teeth. The man's patience was wearing dangerously thin.

"And watch your tone, guardian," Gerard's eyes narrowed, "He may be a bit cheeky now and again but he is my son and I won't have anyone speaking ill of him."

"Let it go, Zuzu," Chung whispered.

The guardian clearly wanted to speak out against the child's insolence. But his king's words were law and Zudrich merely turned his head with an audible snort.

"Gentlemen," Gerard said in a forced laugh, "I believe we're getting off on the wrong foot here. Come now, we have the day ahead of us. Shall we begin our tour?"

"Actually," Chung interrupted, "We were just about to leave. Zuzu and I have business at the capital city and I was hoping maybe we could somehow bum a ride from here. We may not have much in monetary possessions but any help you can offer would be paid back graciously once we get back on our feet."

"Transportation to the capital?" Gerard rubbed his chin in thought. The king could already see a frown beginning to form on the man's lips.

"If… it's not too much to ask," Chung bowed his head deeply.

"I'm afraid that's beyond my power, unfortunately."

"Please!" Chung begged, "As I said we'll repay our debt to you in due time."

The archmage ran his hand over his face grumbling to himself before speaking to the king. "I don't doubt your word, your majesty. Though it's not a matter of money."

A heavy, banging on the door caused the people in the study to jump.

"Master Lewry! A moment of your time, please!" without a chance to grant him permission, the door swung open and his personal guard stepped through, "Master Lewry, if you'll excuse my intrusion! It's an emergency!"

"Yes? What is it?"

"It's the harpies, sir! Garpai village is under attack!"

Gerard and Nerin looked at each other. The archmage turned back to the guard, "How bad does it look out there."

"It's as you feared, Master Lewry. We've already begun making preparations to leave."

Nerin made for the door and Gerard grabbed her by her hand.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I will fight," she said in such a way that sounded almost disappointed in him that he had to ask.

"Not in your condition, dear," Gerard shook his head, gesturing at the bump in her belly.

"I can fight the beasts. They are nothing," she insisted.

Gerard pulled her closer, gripping her tightly by her arms. He whispered in a voice just loud enough for Chung to hear. "You know perfectly well the implications of this attack. We had a plan in case this happened. Find Edwin and Anduran. Make sure they're safe on board the transport and wait there while I pack our things."

Nerin nodded slowly before exiting the room and leaving Gerard to organize his things.

"Are we evacuating the village?" Chung asked as the archmage stowed away a few of his books.

" _We_ are, yes. If the attack is as serious as I believe, we have to leave _now_. Would you care to join us? I know the accomodations is only made to fit my family and I but for you, I believe we can squeeze in two more passengers."

"What about the rest of the village?" Zudrich asked.

Gerard paused in his work and sighed, sliding the last of his books back into its assorted spot among the vast library. "Their sacrifices will be remembered."

"Wait… we're just going to let them die?" Chung responded.

"Believe me: there won't be any point in trying to convince them otherwise," the archmage stated, "We're better off leaving them be."

"An entire village," Zudrich stammered in disbelief, "You're talking about sacrificing an entire village while your family escapes?"

"King Seiker, I highly recommend you leash that dog of yours before he learns it's bad manners to speak out of line. And might I remind you these people tried to kill you not a full day ago."

"Zuzu, calm down. I know what you're trying to say, but we first need to think of this rationally and think of why we're here in the first place."

"With all due respect, my king, I am oath sworn as a guardian not to abandon those in need. I would be bringing shame to my newly earned title if we turn and flee," he gestured towards Gerard, "Especially under his order."

The oath of a guardian; Chung remembered reading the Guardian's Codex to the point of remembering most of the giant book by heart. He understood Zudrich's stance on the matter and, had the king been who he was before the fight for Hamel, he would have easily sided with the guardian.

But the guardian's code was written by a naive fool who had never seen the truth in a life of conflict.

"Grab your things. We're leaving this place."

"No," Zudrich responded defiantly, "Not while there are innocent lives at stake."

"Zudrich, was it?" Gerard began, "Your feeble little mind might not have been able to comprehend the overarching situation here, but in the likely scenario you haven't noticed I'd like to point out that what you're asking for is impossible. Us magically-intuitive types have the innate ability to sense minor disturbances in the air and I can assure you, apart from the poverty of this area this place is foul with a malicious miasma."

"A miasma?" Chung tilted his head.

"No official name for it, just yet, but I've come to simply call it: 'corruption'. I believe it to be demonic in origin. You've had a taste of its lingering effects on the human mind just last night. The entire village wished to have you executed, after all. All except those within the safety of my estate."

"That explains the change in air when we stepped through the gates," Chung muttered.

"Again, you astound me with your innate observation skills, your majesty. That being said, this 'corruption' seems to have affected not only the people of this village but the once good-natured harpies residing in Garpai Rock. If my assumptions are correct, they'd want nothing more than to rip each other's throats out simply because they are not like one another.

"You can try to convince them to leave, but… well, wishing you 'good luck' would be fruitless."

The king had found himself stuck in an impasse between Zudrich and Gerard. Both looked unwilling to budge in the matter and the added possibility that this may be a demonic-influenced ordeal only bolstered Zudrich's resolve to save the people in the village. Chung understood him entirely, the wish to save thousands of innocent lives, especially after the scars of a demon invasion were still fresh in both of their hearts. But the king knew better.

"We're going with Master Lewry," Chung ordered, though his voice held an air of hesitation that brought his own resolve to question.

"Thank you," Gerard said with a roll of his eyes.

Zudrich turned to his king, now, his eyes wide in a mix of shock and anger, "King Seiker! Do you realize what you're saying?"

"I do," Chung muttered, "The guardian's code states that we are not to abandon those in need. Do not forget the people we have back at home. Remember they are desperate for help as well."

"Is that so?" Gerard inquired, "Pray, tell me the details once we've safely left this backwater of a town. I've been meaning to ask how the old King Helputt has been."

The sound of glass breaking in the grand hallway caught their attention as inhuman screeching echoed through the entire estate.

"We'll talk about that later," Chung sneered, gripping the case slung over his shoulder. He undid the wraps of his weapon, unveiling his destroyer and armor set, "How long until you're ready to leave?"

"It shouldn't take long at all," Gerard surmised, "But I'd prefer it if the harpies weren't in my house while we finish things on our end. I suppose it's only polite to ask, but since you seem intent on doing so, would you kindly see to it that those vile beasts stay out of my estate? I'll have my servants load your belongings while you're out."

"That'd be helpful," Chung agreed as he strapped on piece after piece of his brand new armor set, "Zuzu. Suit up. We'll hold the line while Master Lewry finish their business here."

The guardian said nothing and merely glared at the archmage who wished to sacrifice an entire village for the safety of his family.

"Zudrich!" Chung barked, prompting the fury guardian to begin suiting up. He did as he was ordered but with a directness in his actions that showed he was less than pleased with his king's decision.

Fully armed and armored for battle, the king slotted his father's guardian stone onto the armor's chestplate. The two Hamelians exited the study with Gerard waving them off.

"May the El lady watch over you two. I'll send someone to call for you once preparations are complete."

Neither of them replied and as they descended the steps to the grand hall, they witnessed the bloody aftermath from earlier: a harpy with a wingspan almost as wide as the room it came crashing into, lay dead on the floor. Its body, one that roughly resembled the shape of a female humanoid, was riddled with stab marks on the torso with the killing blow planted right on the jugular on its neck. Its head was covered with brown and blue feathers where a woman's hair would have been and its mouth hung open in a macabre attempt at screeching its last breath. Its legs, thick and powerful, held large talons capable of slicing an unprotected human in half with the mere squeeze of its claws.

The body of one of Gerard's personal guards lay under her, appearing to have fallen prey to said talons just moments ago as his bottom half had been flung to the other side of the room.

Through the smashed window above them, the two could see a thick cloud of sand had encompassed the city. The screeches of both man and harpy could be heard just beyond the walls as well as the clash of steel and claw. From the sounds of it, it was just as Gerard had said: the entire village was fighting. If this corruption had affected every single one of these people, Chung expected to see even the children up in arms against the beasts.

They stepped through the double doors, arming their cannons as the blistering heat of a midday sun hit them like stepping into a literal furnace. Through the pelting cloud of sand that made it almost impossible to see, Chung bore witness to a one-sided battle. High above the village, amidst the protective veil of sand, were thousands upon thousands of harpies, their cries were a deafening roar to those who waited below. Men stood alongside women, children, and the elderly, each armed with anything moderately weaponizable from shovels to pitchforks. They sacrificed themselves willingly to combat the bird-women, only to get scooped up and torn limb from limb by an enemy who was more than happy to oblige. Each side acted with such murderous intent. Even though the humans were greatly outnumbered, they threw all caution aside for the sake of fighting. If this was the extent of the corruption, then Chung could only imagine its effects on a population of a much larger scale. He wanted to save them; to prevent another victory on whatever the demons had planned, but Chung had other business to worry about. As much as it pained him to leave these people behind, he had to make a choice… and he chose to act for the sake of his own back in Senace.

"This is wrong," Zudrich muttered, "These people are all going to die, and we're going to sit here and let it happen."

"I know, Zuzu. But there is nothing we can do. You heard it from Gerard."

"I will not listen to some pompous noble who thinks he's above others! You've seen how he regards those 'poorer' than him! You've seen how he's treated me! He is unworthy of our assistance and if anything he deserves to be fighting here with everyone else!"

"That's enough, Zudrich. I understand how you feel. But if there's anything I've learned up until now: it's that the best move is to cut our losses and save who we can."

The guardian snorted, "Very well, my king. I'll follow you to the grave if I must."

"I know you will, Zuzu. And I appreciate it-"

He was interrupted by a harrowing cry directly above them. A harpy, unnoticed through the chaos of the storm, was already upon the king, giving him absolutely no time to react. In the split second of feeling the blade-like claws closing in around him, the dull thump of heavy Hamelian steel colliding with feather and bone was his savior as the bird beast was sent upwards in the opposite direction. Zudrich sailed over Chung, his cannon completing its upward loop that caught the harpy right in the gut.

Zudrich hit the ground in a roll and stood, dusting the dirt off his shoulder.

"It's the outsider!" a voice screamed through the dust. Before Zudrich could turn and react, the woman leapt on his back. A sharp object glinted in her hand and she attempted to drive it into his chest. Thankfully the thick armor plate protected the first strike, giving him enough time to grab her by the wrist in an attempt to wrestle her off without hurting her.

"We're on your side!" the guardian yelled, doing his best to pull her off him while at the same time keeping her from trying to bite his ear off.

Chung leapt into action, putting the woman into a full nelson before yanking her off his guardian's back.

"Outsider!" another voice yelled. Chung turned, with the woman still under his hold just in time for a pitchfork-wielding man to drive the three prongs into the woman's chest.

"King Seiker!" Zudrich snapped the pitchfork in half with a strong front kick and he turned to the man, grabbing him by the head and snapping his neck before he could bite his thumb off. The body flopped to the ground and Zudrich stood over it, staring into his hands as he realized he just murdered an innocent victim. Remembering his ward, he turned to Chung who was in the process of laying the woman's lifeless body carefully on the ground.

"Was that your first kill?" Chung asked, catching his breath.

"I've slain beasts before. But never a fellow man."

"Yeah… yeah," Chung nodded, stepping away from the bodies, "It was either them or you. Gerard said they would be impossible to reason with."

"To hell with that bastard," Zudrich snarled.

Chung let him be. This wasn't a time or place to argue morality, not when they had a job to do with lives on the line.

Chung fell silent as he picked up the sound of a familiar voice shouting over the cries of battle.

"What is it, Chung?" Zudrich held his weapon at the ready.

The king held a finger to his lips and trained his ear around as he tried to find its source. It was easy to decipher the voices as it wasn't a fit of frantic rambling. No, it was… direct, controlled. These people weren't under the influence of this corruption nor did it sound remotely like Gerard or his family. Furthermore, it was beyond the gate, at the town's center.

Chung pulled away from the estate, cannon at the ready as he ordered Zudrich to keep watch. "I'll only be a second," he said, shielding his eyes as he walked through the sandstorm. Men and women charged past him and he was only given a second to react with each encounter that he nearly ran headlong into each of them as they passed. A harpy flew in, scooping up an unfortunate merchant right next to the king and the shopkeeper responded by madly jabbing the sharper end of his walking stick at the beast's gut as he disappeared from view.

All the while, Chung drew closer until the silhouette of the stage, the same one he and Zudrich had stood trial at not a full day earlier, appeared. Two shadowy individuals could be seen, each nothing more than a tall, thin figure standing in the sandstorm.

"This feels wrong," a female voice said, "Many things are wrong here."

"Don't question it," the male voice growled, "You said you're here for me, aren't you? That you're willing to do whatever it takes to help, right?"

The female didn't answer and as Chung drew closer, he could see one of the figures pat the other on the head, "You have your orders. Find the girl. Bring her back alive."

"And this… will help you get better?" the female asked.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause before a rift was torn behind one of the figures. It turned away from the other.

"Don't fail me," the male said.

The second figure bowed deeply as the partner stepped through the void.

"I will not fail you, brother."

The void vanished, leaving one of the two alone on the stage. By then Chung was close enough to feel a weight in his gut. He recognized the speaker just by staring at the long black hair that cascaded down her back. She wore a short black and white combat dress that hugged her body but gave her limbs enough free range to move. Long black gloves covered her arms with a black fluffed fur mantle resting on her bare shoulders. But perhaps the most defining feature about her was the long wicked spear she bore and a white fox hairpin.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He felt his hands trembling as he was hit with a sudden surge of anger and grief. His heart was racing now as the person turned around and, for the first time in what felt like centuries, he stared face to face with the very person took his dear friend Aisha from him.

He wanted to cry out; to scream at the top of his lungs. His mouth did so with the intent of shouting out the person's name.

But despite his intent; despite the will of his mind a single, different word was uttered.

"Traitor!"


	5. Chapter 4: The Cheese Wheel

**A/N: Hello! Yes I'm still here! Where have I been? on vacation. a lot of things happened in my life the past month and i'm sort of stabilizing after all these changes. nothing bad. all good. Yes I'm still writing my story. Wait! Actually, scratch that. I'm not writing my story. My good friend taee is writing my story. That's right, this chapter is actually part of a fic swap i did with taee we both decided to do for fun. She wrote this chapter and I wrote a chapter from one of her stories. The story i've worked on is called Touch and Go and it's the second (and final) chapter to her chung x eve story. Check it out! (though I'm not sure when she'll post it as she's adding final touches to it at the moment of this posting). Anyways, check out taee's stories, they're worth the read and have a really good narration style. As for the future of this story, expect the next chapter to be written by me and then the following chapter (ch 6) to be written by someone else for a secret santa fic swap I'm participating in!**

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Eve pushed open the door to a lively restaurant, the words 'The Cheese Wheel' etched simply onto the wood plaque dangling overhead.

"Cheese!" the black drone commented, adding nothing to what the others already knew, "There's so much! And wine, too! Fancy!"

"It has been observed to be a common combination of food and drink," Remy added.

"This was one of your recommendations, Moby," their queen noted in their neurolink, looking at the list of pins her drones had added to her positioning system. "With luck, we should be able to glean information from the patrons by the end of today." She then seated herself in the center of the room, not minding the couple that veered away from her table sharply upon seeing her. She disabled her decryption program that she had kept running all night to focus on her work ahead. Despite running the program, the strange static signal she felt remained largely indecipherable. The only thing she could discern from the signal was that it was Nasod in origin. What it ultimately meant, though, was something she would have to wonder about at a later date. She pulled up her blue text screen with the same message that she had been displaying for a while.

Looking for someone. Help appreciated. Please enquire.

The message itself was quite simple and easy to understand, yet as time passed, not a single person had approached her to discuss her need for assistance. It was disheartening-enough so that Eve even considered inserting an exclamation point at the end, perhaps even a few, if that's what it would take for others to take notice and take action. The extra punctuation began to seem more and more necessary as the minutes passed, since surrounding diners continued to avoid looking in her direction.

The minutes ticked by as she watched as the patrons came and went, receiving nothing more than a wary glare from the entire restaurant. By the end of the hour Eve had had enough and was about to proceed with the dreaded task when someone, finally, approached her.

It was one of the waiters. Eve noted that, after an entire hour of waiting, this was the first time being addressed by the staff.

"Slow service," Remy whirred.

"Excuse me?" the waiter said, uncertainty heavy in his tone as he addressed the Nasod.

Another blue text box appeared at Eve's side as a single word appeared: Finally.

The waiter ignored it, "Are you with someone?"

Eve blinked, tilting her head at the question. What did he mean 'with someone'? The message at her side was deleted as a new text message appeared.

What do you mean? As you can see I'm alone and I'm looking for someone.

"I think he's flirting with you!" Moby added excitedly.

"Your owner, maybe?" the waiter asked, earning a quizzical look from the three Nasods.

It was at that moment that the restaurant's doors were shoved aside. Rose stood at the entrance with Cleri trailing in on her heels. Rose spotted the nasod first but averted her eyes away swiftly and subtly angled herself in front of Cleri. However, the emissary peeked over the other's shoulder, and, zeroing in on Eve, gave an excited flutter of her hand and headed over, a gold box tucked against her arm.

Subtlety wasn't the woman's strong point, it seemed, as all eyes were on the newcomers coming in with an expensive-looking container.

Rose tugged futilely at her sleeve in a last ditch attempt to avoid the nasod, but after Cleri slid into the seat beside Eve, she could only grudgingly pull out a chair for herself from across the table.

Cleri set the box on her lap and folded her hands over it. "What are you here for, Ms. Eve? Are you looking for that person again?"

Eve tilted her head at the sign projected above her in answer, not anymore pleased than Rose at their presence here.

"Ah," the waiter chimed in, he motioned at Eve, "Is this one with you?"

"Huh?" Cleri looked at Eve then back at the waiter, "Oh. Yes. Yes she is. Why?"

Before he could answer, Rose sighed loudly behind them and flagged down the waiter. He moved to her side of the table and she, rather aggressively, tugged on the man's ear, whispered something to him.

"Uh huh," the waiter nodded, his eyes never leaving Eve. His brow climbed higher up his forehead as she explained something to him and he ended with a quiet "oh" before standing.

"And a plate of your cheapest cheese, too," Rose added, "Not exactly rolling in cash."

"Of course, ma'am. And thank you for clarifying."

Eve, Cleri, and Rose silently watched as the waiter left.

"A-are you having any luck so far today? Has anyone come up to you?" the emissary asked after a moment. From her disheveled hair to the way she was catching her breath, Cleri had been rushing around quite a bit.

Eve shook her head.

"Why don't I help you ask some people?" Cleri asked earnestly.

Eve's face remained as blank as usual, which the other interpreted as some kind of approval, and half stood up to speak to some nearby patrons. She didn't succeed either, all of those she asked backing off quickly when they noticed Eve. Nevertheless, Cleri continued to try. Their food arrived as well as a jug of water at Rose's request. The entire time Cleri went from table to neighboring table to bring their attention to Eve who could only sit there with her large sign, complete with exclamation points and a combination of letters and symbols that closely mimicked happy faces. Cleri had suggested she add those and originally Eve was against the idea but her black drone agreed with Cleri's reasoning that it would make her sign appear more approachable.

"They don't talk to machines," Rose commented after a while as she chewed a green tinged cheese.

Faced with Cleri's quizzical look and Eve's characteristic blank one, she elaborated.

"They don't talk to machines here in Sander. Nasods are seen as subhuman. More like a utility robot instead of a person."

Why? A blue message read.

"A combination of things, really," Rose explained with a lazy shrug, "As I've said before: this is Sander. Everything in this city, even human lives, has a price tag on it. The same applies to you. And since you're not even human, you're more of… a tool than anything else."

Eve's eyes narrowed at the less than subtle jab. What did you call me?

Rose leaned back, hands up defensively, "I'm not lying. I'm just stating the reality of this place."

It then dawned on Eve what the waiter meant when he asked her if she was "with someone". The waiter thought she belonged to someone; as if she was some object to be owned. The realization brought on a surge of anger in Eve's chest that didn't manifest in her expression. Only her two drones floated away from her slightly as her hands balled tightly into a fist. The next time that waiter chose to approach their table she would make an example of him.

"Mistress," Remy interjected hesitantly, "Remember our situation. We are not here to stir a social uprising. We're here for something far more important."

Eve turned her wrathful gaze towards the white drone but the glaring red display that hung around her peripherals was enough to defuse the anger building within her.

60%, it read. It was still slowly climbing. The waiter came by with a fresh jug of water for Rose and regarded the Nasods with an indignant snort and muttered a barely audible complaint regarding how they were taking up space before leaving.

Beside her, the shorter girl slumped in defeat and resignedly snagged a few pieces of cheese off Rose's plate, offering Eve some.

Eve shook her head, though she thanked her for help and the offer, to be polite.

Though the interaction between Eve and her drones have gone largely unnoticed by the others around her, Cleri was quick to pick up the tension that surrounded Eve. She looked agitated. Not in any way her facial expression revealed but rather in the way her body seemed stiff and the way she anxiously tapped her heel against the floor. Cleri then noticed the cloth flower pinned to her chest. "T-that ribbon is pretty. Where did you get it from?"

Eve blinked and looked down at the ribbon pinned on to her black one piece.

Cleri watched as the tension seemed to slowly fade from the Nasod. Whatever it was she was thinking about, it seemed to cause her to momentarily forget what was causing her anxiety.

A text screen appeared as a message was slowly typed out.

It's a gift from someone I've grown rather fond of.

Rose squinted at the accessory, setting down her block of cheese, while an excited look spread over Cleri's face and her hands fluttered in her lap.

"Is it from the person you're looking for?"

Eve shook her head.

No, but his presence would be appreciated.

"Is he family? A friend? A… A lover?"

Rose grunted at the third question. Eve glanced at the blonde for a long moment and watched the markswoman lean forward, clearly interested in her answer.

But being posed this question, Eve found herself… unsure. The person who had given her the ribbon was far more than a friend. Maybe they were a close friend.

Moby chirped in protest at her train of thought.

"You kissed him," he argued, "That's something more than what friends do."

"But they haven't professed their love for each other," Remy countered, "From my understanding, it's common practice for two individuals to announce their commitment to one another before calling themselves anything more than friends. The mistress and the gifter are strictly friends, am I correct?"

The black drone tilted to the side, "Is it really? Shouldn't it be obvious at a certain point even without a formal announcement?" He then turned to Eve, "Mistress? What do you think?"

A single word appeared on the text box that answered the questions of the entire table.

Lover.

"O-oh my," Cleri put a hand over her lips as she visibly tried to contain her excitement from the revelation. She spoke shakily afterwards, "I hope you two can meet again someday." The emissary glanced upwards at her, offering her more cheese again. Eve hesitated for a second before accepting her offer.

"Then who's it from?" Rose asked, bordering on impatient.

Eve's message box was cleared as she tried to formulate an answer for Rose. At first she wanted to tell her it was none of her business but as she tried to identify who she was talking about… she found it strangely difficult. In her memory, all she could recall was actions and a face. She wasn't even sure if this was the same person in her head but she knew of the kindness they expressed towards her. Something was wrong.

Cleri jolted in her seat, lips forming a silent scream. She whipped her head around in a panic, searching for something. "M-my box!"

The chimes above the door jingled cheerfully as a figure cloaked in tattered rags slipped out onto the busy streets. Moby chirped and whistled, "Mistress Eve! It's that person! I saw them come up to us!"

Eve relayed the message to the other two, albeit with much less enthusiasm.  
Cleri shot out of her seat, overturning it accidentally. "Go after them!"

"...Is it okay to just leave you here alone?" Rose furrowed her brow.

"Please do. That box matters much more than myself."

Despite Cleri's assurance, the blonde still wavered, glancing outside at the fast disappearing thief, then back at the emissary.

Seeing them unable to come to a decision, Eve gave it a moment of thought before dispelling her sign, exasperated, and gave the order for Moby and Remy to locate the thief, bolting out of the establishment herself a moment later. After few seconds of weaving through the crowd, shoving when necessary, Moby chirped again, leading Eve down a narrow alley, just in time to witness the heels of the thief's boots vanish around a corner.

Feeling that it'd be more efficient and easy to track their movements if she were at a higher vantage point, Eve boosted herself up on top of the roof of the nearest house with the two drones' help and continued the chase, tracking the thief's path through the alleys. She occasionally flung a few nasod spears to restrain them, but they dodged each one by a hair, movements too trained to belong to a casual pickpocket attracted by something gold and shiny.

With wave of her hand, a line of portals appeared on the cobblestone ahead, and another row of nasod spears emerged out of the ground. To her surprise the thief sprang off the wall and vaulted over to safety without so much as missing a beat and was clearly unfazed by the sudden appearance of spears erupting from the ground. Ahead of them, the path forked yet again and before she could see which path they chose to take, the thief dropped something and smoke exploded outwards, obscuring her vision. Eve rapidly fired off twin lasers to tear through the smokescreen, but by then the thief had already disappeared.

"In the house on the left!" Remy clicked. Eve motioned for Moby to give chase, while she busted open a window on the third floor and entered the building. The interior was dim and gloomy, completely silent, until the familiar whirring of the droid's machinery and the quiet tapping of feet swiftly ascending a staircase reached her ears.

The thief let out a cursed under their breath upon spotting her, reaching the landing and suddenly skidding to a halt. They then whipped around, landing a solid punch the startled Moby, sending the poor droid hurtling towards Eve and cutting her off mid-lunge. Eve stopped to catch Moby, and the thief used the opportunity to leap out the third story window in a shower of glass. They hit the ground running, seemingly unaffected by the fall. Tucking the dizzy black drone under her arm, Eve called Remy over to fly them down. With only one levitating amongst the three of them, it was more of a barely controlled fall, the stones still fracturing a bit under Eve's feet when she landed.

As they ran, little by little, she closed the distance between her and the thief; the jump from the third floor must've done some damage to them after all. Right before they were about to emerge from the side alleys onto a wider, more populated road, Eve summoned more weapons from her arsenal and sent them at the thief. This time, because of their closer proximity, the thief was barely able to dodge the spears, and they slipped up, scrambling for purchase. They were so close Eve could pick up the sound of them breathing, but she still couldn't reach. If they assimilated into the crowd again, she'd have a hard time finding them, as Moby was currently out of commission. Luckily, Rose appeared from nowhere, kicking down the thief with controlled fire spitting from the bottoms of her shoes.

Eve, seeing that the thief was down, slowed her pace and walked over, Rose picking up Cleri's golden box that the thief had let go of because of her attack.

"...Good chase," Rose said to her grudgingly, like it hurt to admit. Eve nodded.

Cleri caught up with them a minute later, heaving for breath and lifting her glasses to wipe away the sweat that'd gathered on her face.

"M-ms. Rose, y-you know so many shortcuts!" Cleri then looked around again. "W-where did…?"

The three look over to where the thief had presumably fallen, only to find an empty space and quite a few wary onlookers.

"...They're not worth the effort," Rose said, handing the box back to Cleri, "They're a dime-a-dozen. Catch one thief here and five more will take their place."

A blue text box appeared over Eve's head. "That one evaded all my attempts in subduing them. They seemed far more skilled than your average thief."

"Yeah well they didn't evade mine," Rose reminded her, tapping the toe of her rocket-propelled boot against the ground.

Cleri gave a short bow in gratitude, and turned to Eve. "Thank you so much. Um. C-can I ask why you decided to help….?"

Eve considered her words, remembering how she'd clearly told the girl the other day that she had no intention of interfering in others' business. "I just remembered. Someone I know, if he were in that situation, he would've helped."

Cleri looked eager to inquire further, until someone approached the trio, clapping.

His clothes are fine and high quality, and his dark hair and face seems to shine, lacking the overall dustiness everyone seemed to have in Sander. He was probably a noble.

"You did well. That kick was magnificent," he looked over the three of them, quietly appraising each of them, "Forgive me for not recognizing you three sooner. It's hard to discern when one of you quite literally barrelled through my office chasing after that thief."

Eve quickly noted that this noble came from the direction she had run through. The third story jump the thief pulled must have been through his office. That was her fault.

The thief needed to be apprehended. The destruction of your property was unavoidable.

"A Nasod…" the noble's eyes narrowed but he continued, addressing Cleri and Rose "I couldn't help but notice you two are part of that group that caused a ruckus in the castle. You wanted to meet His Greatness, am I correct?"

Cleri affirmed it, then added, "But there are three of-"

The noble cut her off, "If you'd still like to meet with His Greatness, I have a job open for you that could attract His Greatness' attention. It's a job of incredible importance, and it requires a certain skill."

"You mean it?" the emissary asked, baffled by the offer.

"Hang on, Cleri," Rose replied, "he's a noble. A Sander noble, to boot. What's your angle, kind sir?"

The noble raised his brow warily at the blonde, "Familiar with our kind, are you? Well, I can assure you mine is purely for mutual benefit. You've found yourself face to face with one of His Greatness's top council members. One who has his ear, if you will. Do this for me and you not only benefit yourself but you also further His Greatness's will… a favor even He cannot ignore."

"And you benefit from this, how?" Rose asked, still uncertain about this man's offer, "You talk about benefiting the city but surely you're getting something out of it in return. I know how your kind likes to weave promises into your own personal goals."

The noble snorted, "Is that what you think?"

"If you're not going to tell us then we won't accept."

"Rose…" Cleri protested.

"Last time I blindly accepted a deal like this I was screwed over. He spills his plans to us or we walk."

"Whether you accept or not is none of my concern, really. I can simply ask others for help. You just seem most capable," the noble insisted.

Cleri spoke up again. "T-then, if we accept, then help Eve in return." She motioned at her friend.

Eve blinked in surprise, and the noble looked over at her for the first time since he'd arrived, wearing an obvious expression of slight disdain.

"Cleri, that's hardly worth anything," Rose protested.

"I disagree," the emissary responded and turned to the noble, again, "We'll help. Just promise us an audience and to help Eve with her search as well."

"...Alright." His face twists into something sour.

"A name would be nice, too," Rose added.

"Hm?"

"You claim you're a top council members of Sander. Who are you?"

The noble smiled broadly, "But of course. Where are my manners? You may refer to me as Thironin."


	6. Chapter 5: An Old Friend, A Recent Enemy

**A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Aliniel, and Taee for proofreading this chapter. Hi! Yes, I'm still here. Yes I'm still working on this story. Just been a busy past couple of months what with the work and the holidays. Things have stabilized now and you should see a few more updates from me. I also have another long project in mind that i may start sometime soon so look forward to that!**

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Time was both a blur and a crawl. Each opponent that fell was quickly forgotten, yet each engagement seemed to last for minutes at a time. Combat was all that mattered. From the moment the Hamelians set foot outside Gerard's estate, they were fighting. A pile of bodies, both harpy and human lay at the gates as one after another, any attempt to approach the mansion grounds was met with swift and merciful death. At least for Zudrich.

How much time had passed for the warrior? Minutes? Hours? It had only been so long since his first official kill, but the body count that followed quickly skyrocketed as more and more corrupted victims were drawn to the sounds of battle.

"Quickly, I said!" Gerard's voice was just barely audible over the cries of battle, "Get the engine running! We leave as soon as we can!"

"Gerard!" Zudrich's form was barely visible through the storm wrestling with another harpy. The Hamelian strong-armed the creature into the ground and, with both winged arms in either hand, pulled. A grotesque snap could be heard followed by a pain induced shriek from the beast-woman.

"Are preparations complete, yet?" Zudrich yelled over the screeching.

"Almost. I just have to secure the estate and we'll be ready to move… Where is King Seiker?"

"He's pushed further into the square. He'll be back any moment-"

As if on cue, Chung was sent flying backwards, his armor scraping against the stone streets before crashing right through an abandoned fruit stand and into the mud-brick walls of a destroyed house. The force of the collision caused the wall to collapse in a pile of dust and rubble.

He clawed his way out of the debris, coughing up sand as he pulled himself out of the wreck. The king focused his attention to a figure shrouded by the thick sandstorm. To think that, even though he had the jump on her, she was able to quickly turn the tables and knock him clear out of her visual range. She was faster and much stronger than he remembered.

"Chung!" Zudrich called as his guardian appeared beyond the broken wall, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" the king responded through gritted teeth as he rose out of the pile. He quickly glanced over himself, looking for any sign of visible injury. The armor held. The blow he received to his chest would have surely shattered his rib cage. The El flowing from his father's guardian stone not only prevented the injury but reinforced the strength of his new Freiturnier as well.

Relieved that he was largely unscathed, the king turned his attention back to his target. The spear the figure bore twirled over her head before she pounded the blunt end against the stage, she stood on with an audible thunk. "You are not to interfere, Chung," the figure shouted over the rattling waves of sand. She spoke in a distinct foreign accent, "I do not wish to harm you."

"Like hell I'd let you!" Zudrich growled, shifting into a siege stance, "You'll have to go through me if you so much as think of fighting him!"

A heavy hand fell on Zudrich's shoulder as Chung climbed out of the destroyed house.

"Stay out of this, Zuzu."

"But… your highness," the fury guardian protested, "I've sworn to protect you. I won't leave your side especially when facing an enemy of Hamel."

"Stay out of this," Chung repeated, his voice carrying a bitter, almost venomous tone. Zudrich turned to his king and saw something he had never seen in his cyan eyes before. It was more than anger; more than an adrenaline induced combat high. This was hatred. Hatred in its purest form.

"Your highness…?"

The El essence that trickled from the stone quickly began to flow outward, surrounding the king's entire body with magical flame. It had been almost a year since he had to awaken his inner fire and to him, the sensation felt different, almost foreign. He stared at the palm of his hand as the blue aura that surrounded him burned through his magical energy like a hungry flame. The El was wild, unwieldy. Like a pot ready to boil over, it took all of his mental will to try to keep this power in check. If he were to fight in this state he only had a limited time before his El reserves would be used up.

A flash of light caught Zudrich's attention and he turned just in time to see the shadow of Gerard's estate vanish before his very eyes. Normally this would be cause for alarm but he quickly remembered that the archmage said he needed to secure the estate. The preparations were complete.

"My king, the archmage should be ready, we must retreat for now."

"I'll only be a moment," Chung said, clenching his open palm as he set his sights on the woman in the distance.

The king leapt into action. Before his guardian even realized it, Chung had already closed the distance with his adversary. His speed was beyond that of any normal Hamelian. The strike that followed connected with enough force to briefly cause the air around the two to crackle with energy. In that brief, snapshot moment of destroyer crashing against spear, the king's cyan eyes saw the face of his enemy for the first time in a long time. She had long black hair, a contrastingly white fox hairpin that held it in a tight bun, unblemished skin, and glowing orange eyes. An old friend-a recent enemy.

Ara returned his gaze, though with nowhere near as much hatred for her opponent. There was something else in those focused eyes. It felt like… pity. Was she mocking him? Were his attempts to avenge Aisha's death that trivial of a matter? Had she forgotten who it was that tried her hardest to include this traitor into their group? Had she forgotten who it was that cared enough to teach her proper Elrian common?

He still remembered that moment like it was branded into his memories. He remembered that fatal strike; the way Aisha desperately clung to life after Ara and Ran retreated. He remembered doing his best to stop the bleeding... He remembered how her heart stopped beating.

The guardian stone flashed a bright blue as he used the surge of fury to fuel his follow up strike. This was the strength he needed. As long as he kept her on the defensive, he knew he would quickly overpower her. He kicked her, creating space before pulling the trigger, sending his cannon on a rapid loop.

The bladed end of his weapon was masterfully deflected. It was forced to travel along the length of the spear as Ara spun her weapon up and over her head. She guided the trajectory, sending his momentum into a screeching halt as she planted the cannon into the ground. She returned fire, cartwheeling over the grounded cannon and turning the inertia of her spin onto the spear. The weapon was brought down on the king. Chung moved, slipping his head out of the way just in time as the blunt end of the spear slammed downward onto his shoulder plate with a definitive echoing crack.

She didn't strike him with the bladed end. Was this a game to her? Was she trying to make a fool out of him?

The king would have none of it. He surged forward, along the spear, slamming his forehead against the woman's face and causing her to reel back. Swinging the cannon back around he cleaved in a wide horizontal arc, forcing Ara to take to the air, vaulting off of him and leaping off onto a rooftop of a nearby house.

The traitor was trying to make a run for it. Not wanting to give her the chance to get away a second time, Chung pursued, scaling the two-story building with a single bound.

"Chung!" Zudrich called, quickly losing sight of his king in the thick storm.

"Zudrich, we're ready," a voice caught the guardian's attention and he turned to see Gerard all packed and prepared to leave. The machine he sat upon was something akin to a bicycle but much larger; definitely larger than a riding bird. This was something Zudrich had never seen before.

"What in the Lady's name is this machine?" the guardian asked, afraid to even touch it. With a twist of the handle, the archmage revved the engine to and it took the guardian a moment to realize it sat on two wide, independent, treads specifically designed to traverse over sand.

"A dunerunner," Gerard explained with a pat on the vehicle's engine, "Never seen one? I suppose there'd be little use for them in the mountainous regions of Senace. Come. You may join my family in the trailer."

Attached to the back of the bike was a medium-sized steel wagon complete with sand treads and a white tarp bonnet. Nerin, Edwin, and Anduran were safely on board along with bags and boxes of supplies for the trip.

"Where is his majesty?"

"He's not back yet. He took off after some strange woman! Can you please wait while I find him?"

"We can't wait much longer. The village is ripping itself to shreds and I have a family to protect."

"Then leave!"

"Not without you to protect us. I've lost all my guardsmen during my preparations… you need to be there to protect us."

"My priorities are with my country. And right now my leader is out there while you're telling me to just leave him behind. I am _not_ going anywhere without him. So you either leave on your own or you help me find him!"

The guardian stared daggers into the archmage and it only took Gerard a moment before he backed down before the Hamelian. He glanced back at the wagon behind him and saw his family staring back.

"This is suicide, you know that?" Gerard growled.

"So you'll help?"

Gerard didn't answer but instead repositioned himself where he sat. He straightened his posture and shut his eyes, entering what Zudrich could only discern was a meditative state. The guardian waited for an answer but received none as the archmage seemed to fall into his own mind where he sat.

"What's he doing…?" Zudrich asked, quickly losing his patience. He turned to Nerin who was in the process of hiding the two children under a tarp, "Is he going to help or not?"

"He is searching," the Caluso replied.

"Searching for what? Is he searching for Chung?"

Nerin shook her head, "He's searching for the correct string."

"String…?"

"I found it," Gerard muttered, his eyes glowing a soft yellow as he opened them. He turned to Zudrich, "Get on."

"I'm not leaving without Chu-"

"Get on, now! Or we won't reach your king in time."

"Do as he says!" Nerin added, "Quickly!"

* * *

The cannonball was deflected with a perfectly timed parry. The explosive round sailed over the woman's head and buried itself into the side of another home. The resulting explosion caused the building to topple over, crashing onto the rooftop they fought on. The floor beneath them gave way as the two fell to the lower floor.

They both landed as dust and debris clouded their vision. With little time to recover and only a faint glimpse of his target to go by, king plowed through the destroyed mud and brick as if it were paper. Rubble was tossed aside as he charged through, each step leaving a small crater as he moved the mound like a bulldozer. A wave of dirt and sand cascaded on Ara's last known position yet as he moved the earth a heavy blow struck him at the back of his head.

Chung stumbled forward, turning just in time to see Ara making a run for a nearby window.

He took off after her and she quickly spun around, tossing a soul orb at him, forcing him to raise his cannon to block it. The orb connected and Chung could feel the thrum of energy as it dissipated into his weapon.

The break for the window was a feint. As he lowered the cannon, Ara slid under his legs, and quickly rose up behind him, landing two powerful kicks on his back. Chung flew forward, crashing through the window and bringing what was left of the wall with him.

The rubble was immediately thrown skyward as a surge of El erupted from the guardian stone. The immediate area around Chung was enveloped by the same wild blue light. Ara was pushed back from the force of the blast, landing sideways on against a crumbling wall.

"Ara!" Chung screamed, "Fight me toe-to-toe, coward!"

"I can't do that…" was her reply as she hovered somewhere just outside his blast radius.

Before he could react, the woman's form appeared through the screen of light, flying in and burying her knee right into his chin.

"You would surely lose if I did."

The light vanished as quickly as it appeared as Chung stumbled backwards. He regained his footing but Ara was nowhere to be found. He ran a gauntleted hand over his bleeding lip as he spun around, searching for his opponent through the storm. She was right. If he was to have even the slightest chance in facing her, he had to use all the tools available to him. He remembered his previous battle against her. He remembered if he could swing the momentum of an engagement in his favor just once, he could keep it that way. He just needed an opening.

"Try me…" he growled. He raised his cannon, readying himself for another surprise attack, "Try me!"

She obliged, appearing not behind him but directly in front of him. With his guard up it'd be near impossible for her to get through his defense. This was another feint!

Ara came in with spear over her head in a wide, predictable downward swing. Rather than guard against it, Chung lunged forward, calling her bluff as her staggered blow changed into hesitation. He shouldered her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and immediately swinging the momentum into his favor. This was what he wanted.

With cannon already wound back behind him, he pulled the trigger, sending the weight of the bladed end of the weapon back towards her.

She reacted quickly, turning her weapon down and around to block the incoming cleave. The heavy cannon clashed against the spear, but to his surprise, Ara's weapon did not break. Ara kept her footing, her boots sliding against the dirt as the force of the blow visibly rocked her.

Chung disengaged, pulling the trigger and guiding the cannon's path to pull him just out of her range. Instinctively he reached for his hip, finding nothing but air where he expected a holster for his revolver. It had been so long since he had to fight that he had forgotten that his Silver Shooters no longer existed. He grunted, backpedaling as he needed time to change his fighting style. But as soon as he regained his balance, she was quick to respond, and closed in on him. The pointed tip of the spear trained at his chest just grazed past him as another four follow-up thrusts kept the king off balance.

Chung snatched the spear after the fourth thrust, gripping it in an attempt to wrench it out of her hands. She held on tight, causing her body to be thrown from side to side as the two grappled. Ara suddenly threw herself at him, the heel of her boot meeting his jaw. Chung stumbled backwards, looking up just in time to see the spear-wielder spinning in the air for a finishing strike.

The king retaliated, turning his cannon upward and firing a round at her.

In that brief instant, Ara's hair flashed a brilliant white as the woman batted the round away with the side of her spear and she continued her downward strike.

He raised his cannon and her spear connected with his destroyer. The area around them flashed in a coalescence of energy. Lightning cracked as the combination of El and sheer physical force collided around them, illuminating the town square. Shadows of corrupted victims could be seen coalescing into their location through the brief flash, and as he stared up at the fox-woman, her white locks raven once more, he still saw that same look of pity in her eyes. Looking up at the weapon in her hands, he saw she had attempted to strike him with the blunt end of her spear. Chung attempted to stand but she pressed the heel of her boot into his chest.

"I do not wish to harm you," she shouted over the mix of howling wind and screeching harpies, "I beg you, dear friend, give up."

"You… are _not_ … my friend!" Chung screamed, pushing her spear away and grabbing her ankle. He pulled, throwing her off balance as he tried to get back on his feet. She countered, rolling her body into another spinning kick that caught him in the temple. His grip loosened and she quickly stepped back, resuming her fighting stance once more.

Chung, in a daze, struggled to find his footing. In that moment his inner fire vanished. The burden of the cannon and his armor returned as he tried to regain his footing from the sudden shift in weight.

"No…" Chung's voice shook as he felt the immense flow of strength disappear, "No!"

In desperation he threw himself at the woman, once more. His speed no longer what it used to be, Ara easily side-stepped him, driving her knee into his gut before smacking the back of his head with a quick downward strike with the blunt end of her spear.

Chung fell to his knees on the floor, the damage to his body was quickly catching up with him. He stared at the ground, a noxious mix of frustration and anger swimming in his head as he tried to think of a way to defeat her. She was making a fool of him. Even with his inner fire she evaded his strikes like they were childsplay. Now that he was out of El, what chance did he have of facing her?

This wasn't right. Aisha's murderer was standing within arm's reach but he can't even bring himself to avenge her.

"I am the better fighter," she warned, "You cannot beat me, Chung."

"Why did you do it…?" he muttered, his hands clenching into a tight fist as he waited for an answer. He saw her shadow standing over him but she said nothing.

"Why did you kill Aisha?!" he staggered to his feet but was quickly sent back to the floor with another blunt strike across his head.

"You wouldn't understand, Chung," Ara replied. Her guard was lowered, "My brother… is all I have left of my family."

"And what about us?" the king, still on his knees, looked up at his enemy, "Weren't we your family, too?"

The woman stared back at him as she tried to find the words to explain herself. Chung could see the grip on her spear tighten as the look of pity on her face slowly disappeared.

"We took you in when you didn't have anyone else. We gave you food and shelter. We gave you the time to properly learn our language. We put our lives on the line for you and you did the same for us. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"The sacrifices my brother made-"

"Does not justify you murdering one of us! I don't care what he did for you he still slaughtered thousands and destroyed my home! Whoever your brother was is gone now. All that's left is a monster and you are doing nothing but feeding his demonic nature-"

She spun her spear around and, before Chung could raise his cannon in defense, found himself staring at a bladed tip pointing at his throat. An orb of black and amber energy began to glow as the proximity of the orb brought a searing sensation to Chung's exposed neck.

"You know nothing of my brother!" she replied, baring her teeth in an angry snarl, "He's alive! I know! Somewhere, deep down, he is there. I can save him."

He stared into her eyes. The look she had been given him had shifted to that of desperation; as if she was grasping for straws at the end of her rope. Though, recognizing this he soon realized he had been reading her wrong this entire time. It wasn't pity that she had been feeling towards him. It was something far more complex. An emotion that harkened back to the day she betrayed the El Search Party:

Regret.

But no amount of remorse, no amount of recompense would bring back the life she took. Chung shook his head slowly at her. Even when she sneered and pressed the orb closer to his neck he didn't relent on his stance, "He is beyond saving, Ara. How many more of us are you going to kill until you see the truth?"

Her steady grip on her weapon wavered as he visibly saw the tip tremble. He watched as her grip tightened, her mind being made up.

"As many as it takes. My brother will come back, and I won't let anyone stop me until that happens."

There was a rumbling in the distance, beyond the mud and clay walls that surrounded them. The corrupted should be upon them soon. If Ara didn't kill him here, the mind-altered civilians and harpies would.

Chung shook his head, "You've lost it… Killing me won't bring him back."

"You don't know that!" Ara screamed as all her intent to spare the young king vanished.

"Hang on!" a voice was heard beyond the walls that surrounded them. In that exact moment, a machine crashed in through the thin mud barrier, catching either of them by surprise.

Zudrich was rooted to the front of the vehicle, his cannon held in a bracing position as he absorbed the brunt of the collision. "There!" Gerard cried as he rapidly shifted the vehicle's treads towards Ara. By then Zudrich was already hanging off the side, arm outstretched as he grabbed his king by the chestplate. He yanked him onto the vehicle as the archmage did his best to keep the woman in front of him.

He missed. Barely. With only a split second to react, Ara leapt off to the side as the dune-runner plowed through the house and out the opposite wall like a small stampede. Its white tarp was torn off from the low ceiling and as the vehicle rumbled out of the room, Ara rose from the dust and debris. Her eyes turned to the retreating vehicle, just in time to catch two children peeking out from the back of the wagon at the destruction left at its wake.

"Go on without me," Chung grunted as he found his footing. He was nearly thrown off the dune-runner after it made a sharp turn away from the narrow side street and onto the main road.

"What?!" Zudrich cried.

"This matter does _not_ concern you. That traitor _must_ die."

The larger man bounded around Gerard, who was in the process of grinding his way through a crowd of corrupted civilians, and grabbed the king by his shoulder, "My king… Chung… what has gotten into you? Her death has nothing to do with us. Think of the others. Is vengeance really the way of the guardian? And what of Sander? Weren't we to go there as well?"

"We're not going to Sander, guardian," Gerard shouted, not taking his eyes off the road.

"What?" Zudrich shouted back, "Why?"

Chung tried to shrug him off, "She… has to pay. She has to pay for what she did!"

A screech caught both of their attention as a harpy dove in on them. They both rolled aside, onto the wagon. The children at the back screamed as Nerin dove over them and kept their heads down.

"Chung! Listen to yourself!" Zudrich pleaded, simultaneously turning his attention to the harpy and attempting to swat it away with his cannon, "You are thinking irrationally! Lives are at stake! We have to protect them!"

The guardian loaded fresh rounds onto his cannon and pointed it skyward, firing again and again into the dense storm as the beast dodged and rolled past them. Through the flashes of the explosion a figure could be seen high above it.

The harpy let out another shrill cry as the figure fell in from above. A spear had been driven through it and as it struggled to keep aloft, Chung's eyes fixated on the woman riding on its back.

Ara had returned.

She tore her spear loose as the harpy plummeted, leaping off it and onto the speeding dune-runner.

The fox-woman gave them little time to react, spinning off of her spear into a hard kick that sent Chung overboard.

"My King!" the guardian leapt after the king, grabbing him by his forearm as he hung over the edge. He slid along the side of the wagon, forced to carry the weight of a person and his cannon. He slid to a stop at tailgate and he anchored himself as best as he could while Chung tried to find a way to climb back on.

He was exposed like this. Ara would never find him at a more vulnerable position to end his life than right now. And yet… she didn't.

As Chung struggled to climb on board, he was almost afraid to look over the tail gate and expecting to find the sharp end of the spear pointed at Zudrich. The reality was much more horrifying.

Ara stood at the far end of the trailer, cornering Nerin and the two children.

She briefly turned her head towards Zudrich who struggled to pull his king back on board. She turned her nose up at him, as if warning him to stay out this, before turning her attention back to the other three.

"The Wind Priestess," Ara demanded, "Hand her over."

"You will not have my niece," Nerin growled.

Ara looked the woman over, appraising her before a faint black and amber glow surrounded her spear.

"Do as I say and I will spare you. I do not wish to bring harm to you or the child you bear."

"Nerin!" Chung grunted as he finally managed to grab a solid hold on Zudrich, "Hang on!"

The Caluso woman's eyes narrowed as she assumed a fighting stance. "Never," Nerin responded defiantly.

"Nerin! No!"

Ara was undoubtedly surprised by the response but seeing as the two Hamelians would be upon her in moments she had little time to spare.

Ara had to kill her.

With a single, well-aimed thrust, the fox-woman drove her spear trained at Nerin's chest. What she didn't expect, however, was the much faster response.

In one swift motion, Nerin parried the spear over her shoulder and lunged forward, driving the palm of her hand onto Ara's chin. This stunned the assailant long enough for Nerin to turn, taking the spear from the foreigner's hands and quickly throwing it overboard. With the same motion she took a brief step back, pinwheeling both free hands and bringing them to the side of her hip. All the while Ara was still rocked by the initial strike that she had taken a few steps back towards Chung and Zudrich.

It was only then that Chung realized the storm around the immediate area of the trailer had ceased. It was if they were in some sort of air bubble where no wind was present. Not even a breeze. No longer did the wind wail. No longer did it whip at his ears. In this flash moment of tranquility, Chung heard Ara whisper in shock and realization.

"A Caluso…"

Nerin thrust her palms forward. A sudden burst of air shot forth from her hands, blasting Ara clean off her feet. She was sent flying and in a blink of an eye, her form was lost in the veil of sand.

The gates of the village passed overhead as the dune-runner sped out of the chaos. Gerard gave a brief glance over his shoulder to check on the others and saw his wife rolling her shoulders and shaking her arms loose.

"Are you all okay, back there?" he asked more towards the two Hamelians than his wife.

"We're fine, now," Nerin answered for them all, seeing as Chung and Zudrich were too shocked to answer. She knelt down, holding Anduran and Edwin in a tight embrace, "I doubt that woman will be able to pursue us now."

"You know, I think his majesty and his guardian could have handled it just fine, Nerin. No need for you to intervene," Gerard said with a shake of his head. They cleared the sandstorm and were immediately introduced to the scorching sun and miles of endless sand.

The Caluso woman turned to the other two then back at her child and niece, "She threatened my family. I was not going to wait for them to do something about it."

Chung and Zudrich looked at each other, feeling the full force of Nerin's condescending tone.

"I couldn't even face her toe-to-toe and you just shut her down so quickly," Chung muttered, still in disbelief, "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Caluso are warriors from birth," Nerin explained, not taking her eyes off the two kids, "Most Caluso children are trained to fight from the moment they are able to properly ball their hands to a fist. I was no exception."

"That was so cool!" Edwin exclaimed, mimicking his mother's stance, "You were like 'pow!' and then you were like 'bam!' and that bad person was like 'woosh!'. I didn't know you could do all of that stuff!"

Nerin smiled, nuzzling her son, "That's because I never need to with your father around to guide us."

"Did you kill her?" Chung asked, getting right to the point as he shook the sand off his hair. They have only been in direct sunlight for a few seconds and he could already feel the heat beginning to bear down on him.

"Doubtful," Nerin replied, digging through one of the crates and pulling out a spare tarp to lay over them, "But she has learned. She won't repeat such an encounter. Not anytime soon, at least."

"How do you feel by the way, your majesty?" Gerard called, "Do you still wish to see that woman dead?"

Chung tilted his head at the question. It felt almost ridiculous for him to ask. Sure it would help avenge Aisha but given the circumstances doing so would be suicide. "Why would I go through so much effort to run back over there to kill Ara?"

"You seemed dead set on it, Chung," Zudrich replied, "You almost threw yourself over trying to get back into the fight."

"I… I don't know what came over me," the king muttered, rubbing his head as he tried to rationalize his thought process. Even in a combat high, he would never go that far to pursue a target like that.

"I think it's safe to assume you were under the effects of the corruption."

"The same one affecting the villagers?" the king asked.

Gerard nodded, "The very same. You had a small dose of it. Just as I theorized, bringing you out of that village cleared you from its effects… As for that woman."

"Ara."

"Yes, Ara. Seeing her come straight for Anduran, though," Gerard muttered, "It's just as we feared. The demons are on the move, again."

"Does that mean we can't use the mansion, again, uncle?" Anduran asked, looking over at the archmage.

"Unfortunately so. We have to keep on the move until we find some other remote village to settle down in."

"Demons?" Zudrich chimed in, "They're a problem here in the desert as well?"

"More so than you think," Gerard nodded, "Which is one of the many reasons why Sander is the wrong place to go. If they're looking for Anduran then a large city would be the worst place to hide her."

"Where are you going, then?" Chung asked.

The archmage sighed, "I'm… not sure. I'm working on it. Abandoning our home wasn't exactly on my to-do list today. But Sanders is a definite no. At least for now."

"My king," Zudrich asked, "What shall we do?"

"I'd highly advise against abandoning us for the time being," Gerard explained, "Apart from being miles away from the next point of civilization you have no means of reaching Sanders except by foot. In this heat, you wouldn't get far. On top of that I still need your protection. Harpies can still pursue us even beyond the sandstorm."

Chung grunted, looking back at the giant wall of dust. As much as he hated to be drawn off course now, he couldn't say no. "We'll stay… for now."

Gerard smiled approvingly.

"But only until the next village. We have our own business to focus on."

"We should be fine by then," Gerard nodded, "Until then, sit tight and relax. We have a long, hot day ahead of us."


	7. Chapter 6: A Small Favor

**A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Taee, and nico, for proofreading this chapter! Sorry for the lack of updates. There was a bit of an issue regarding my posting schedule as well as other side projects but now I'm back! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Temperatures nearing uncomfortable threshold," Remy reported.

 _I'm aware_ , Eve replied through their shared network.

"Outside isn't much better," Moby added, "It has the heat plus more sun. It's better down here."

Her eyes scanned over the sweat covered faces that filled the small, dimly lit passenger cabin-if one could call it that. It was more like a hastily converted cargo hold. Shelves had their upper half torn away to function as benches to sit on. Safety restraints were non-existent, and the only source of light was at the room's doorway that connected directly to the cockpit above them. The metal walls were warm to the touch and were the only things separating the group from the hot desert sun. It did little to muffle the loud rumble of the rotors and much of their voices were drowned out every time the pilot revved the engines.

Each member of the El Search Party looked just as miserable as the next. Raven, as calm and collected as he often was, couldn't sit still and had removed his coat that he had initially brought to protect himself against the sun. Elsword sat in the corner, quietly running an arm over his forehead every now and then while he seemed to float around in his own head in thought. Rose was sitting next to Cleri who still carried the ornate looking box with her everywhere she went. Her drone Zero had transformed itself into a fan just big enough to work between the two of them. Even the Queen of Nasods was feeling the effects as she withdrew a small handkerchief and wiped the bead of sweat running down her cheek. Out of the entire party, however, the Blazing Heart seemed the most aggravated by the heat. Her heel tapped rapidly as she waited to arrive at their destination. She was leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she stared at the floor, drops of sweat falling onto the hot metal under her. She was grating her teeth and seemed on the verge of losing her composure.

A series of dull thumps from the cockpit could be heard calling for attention. The pilot's voice could be heard above them, barely audible through the stairway door.

"Five minutes to drop off! Though… we have a problem."

Eve saw Raven glance at Elsword who was nearest to the door. The red-head sighed and wordlessly volunteered to go see what the problem was. He picked up his sword and carried it with him to the cockpit, leaving the rest to cook a little longer in the oven.

"I hate this place," Elesis muttered, still staring at the floor, and speaking just loud enough for the others to hear. All eyes fell on her.

"I hate it," she repeated, "It's so hot here I can barely think straight. The people here are irritating. The cost just to _exist_ in this place is ridiculous."

"Just hang in there, Elesis," Raven reassured her, "We'll be done with this place soon enough."

"How soon?" the Blazing Heart asked, "We gave ourselves a week, tops, with the funds we had if we were careful. It's day three and we're already broke. We don't even have enough money to pay for the trip back, much less eat. Elsword spent the entire day yesterday looking for odd jobs but there was essentially nothing but slave work for what little they offered in return.

"Three days, Raven. We've been here three days and we're flat broke and nowhere near getting our job done," she then turned her attention towards Cleri who had taken it upon herself to make herself as scarce as possible by burying her nose in a book, "If only Miss Ambassador, here, stood her ground when she spoke to that asshole at the castle, we would've at least had a scheduled appointment with 'His Greatness', whoever he is."

"Like you did any better," Rose retorted, "She was getting to that part when _someone_ had to butt in and make a scene!"

"She was going to accept a slot _months_ in the future. Again: day three, we're flat broke."

"It was a lot better of an option that being outright _banned_ from ever setting foot in the castle ever again!"

"It's not my fault he had a stick up his ass!" Elesis argued, the cabin getting noticeably hotter as the Blazing Heart's magic began to cook the air around them.

"It _is_ your fault!"

"Ladies, please," Rose's drone, Zero, said as he transformed back to his default state. He flew between the two, acting as a floating obstruction that kept the two from going for each other's throats. "Boss, I think you gotta let this one have her way."

"I'm not letting her push us around."

"But, boss, she's _Elesis_. You _know_ what she's capable of."

"That doesn't give her the right to berate others for her mistakes."

"I'm right here, you know," Elesis growled.

"Good, then I don't have to repeat myself!"

"Humans are so quick to deflect blame on themselves, even when they are clearly at fault," Remy stated.

"Elesis was mean. She's being mean now," Moby replied.

Eve fanned herself as she observed the two women alongside her drones. To her, this was all a waste of time. Within Eve's personal heads up display that hovered in her peripherals, the most prominent window was the large red 60% display that she couldn't help but glance at every few seconds. It wasn't due to tick upwards for a few more days but that did little to help that bit of anxiety building at the bottom of her gut.

Like Elesis, she didn't want to be here. Dragged along for the sake of gaining an audience and only _possibly_ gaining a lead on who she was searching for, she felt that she had more productivity staying within Sander city walls, deciphering the strange decrypted Nasod signal. Ever since they flew out of the city, the signal vanished, leading her to believe that whatever the source was would ultimately lead to who she was looking for. It had to be. The Ponggos had said that the individual was an expert in Nasod coding. Surely that person was the source of this Nasod signal.

But out here, she was getting nowhere with decrypting it.

Furthermore, Eve agreed with Rose in regards to the nobleman who tasked them with this job. She didn't trust him. Having only met twice, once during their initial meeting and again when he met the rest of the El Search Party later that night, Thironin, a man claiming to have the ear of His Greatness, had instructed Cleri to speak to the leaders of Garpai Village on their behalf. What he meant by this, he couldn't disclose to Cleri's "bodyguards" but after filling her in on the situation in private, he insisted the others accompany her for protection.

Once she was beyond earshot, a pale-faced Cleri whispered to Eve that she'd tell everyone about it didn't sit well with the entire party and it was overtly obvious in the heavy silence that hung over them during the flight and had reached a head with the fight between Rose and Elesis.

"That's enough! Both of you," Raven interjected, "Elesis, settle down before you boil us alive."

"Not until she admits that we're only here because Cleri is incompetent. I've been saying it since we've left Velder and I stand by what I've said: I don't think she has what it takes and this entire trip is a waste of time."

"Okay, I get it," Cleri murmured, finally pulling herself out of her hiding spot behind her book, "I'm not a good people person. I'm shy, and it's hard for me to speak against someone who opposes me."

"You got that right," Elesis muttered.

"But we were given another chance. I was given another chance. All we have to do is talk to the mayor of Garpai Village. I've spent all night last night writing up the perfect speech to give them and if there's anything that I'm confident about it's my ability to persuade people if I was given the time to prepare myself. I know we can do this and if it guarantees us an audience with His Greatness, then I'll do it to pay you all back for being forced to come all the way out here for my sake. All I ask is that you let me do my job. No interruptions. Just me talking to the mayor."

Elesis eyed the girl indignantly, doubt clear in her gaze, "And if the mayor starts pushing you around?"

"You watch how I handle it. Afterwards, you can judge me however you please," Cleri nodded."

The red-headed woman appraised the woman quietly. After a moment, Elesis turned her head away, crossing her arms, and giving an annoyed grunt.

"On… a lighter note," the noblesse chuckled, "I think I'm getting over this motion sickness. I only feel slightly queasy. As long as the airship doesn't jostle around so much I should be fine."

"Better than having to clean up your puke, I guess," Rose muttered, leaning back on her seat and turning her head away from Elesis, mirroring the Blazing Heart's ire.

"Nice to see you two getting along," Elsword said, descending the stairs back to the lower level, "Everybody ready up. We're getting off this ship soon."

He spoke in a heavily resigned tone and as he stepped into the room, a dark red light illuminated the room, indicating the large metal doors were opening. All the while, Eve felt the ship's engines power down as it began to descend.

"What is it?" Raven inquired.

"The village is at the edge of a really thick sandstorm. We can't get in any closer to it so we're going to have to hoof the rest of the way from here."

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Elesis was clearly not in the mood to joke around at this point.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" the young knight scanned the rest of the room, and for a moment his eyes met Eve's. The Nasod looked away, "Come on, everyone. Let's get this job over and done with."

He was so different, now. Gone was the brash optimism that she had found most endearing about him. In its place was this dutiful, almost desperate, need to make sure everyone knew what they're doing before they acted.

The entire ship shook as it landed at a slight angle along a large sand dune. The cargo doors at the back of the converted passenger cabin shuddered open, greeting the party with a hot blast of air and blinding sunlight. The doors fell open the rest of the way with a loud clang, kicking up a cloud of sand that blew into each of the passenger's faces.

"I hate this place," Elesis shouted for the third time, wiping the grains from her eyes.

Not too far from their landing area stood a daunting wall of wind and sand. So thick was the storm that it almost looked as if it were a solid surface in the distance. The howling gusts could be heard under the loud rumbling engines.

The red-headed leader waited for the others to ready up, with Rose being the last among them as she strapped on strange devices to the heels of her was dressed in thin fabric that not only let her body breathe but also covered her extremities from the unforgiving sun. Strapped to her hips and back were an assortment of utility equipment including a spare flask of water and what looked to be an emergency pack. Comparing her to the rest, Eve could easily see just how much better prepared Rose was than the others. All the rest just brought a water bladder but carried the same uniform and equipment that they have always worn for work, a choice that was clearly ill fit for the conditions ahead.

"Let's move," Elsword said in a half-grunt and took the lead as they stepped into the hot desert.

"My orders are to wait until your job is done," the pilot called from the stairway, "Don't take too long. I'm not being paid by the hour."

"We'll take as long as necessary. Until then, you'll have to wait," Raven replied, getting an unhappy string of Sander vocabulary thrown at him.

The rest of the group exited the airship, climbing up to the top of a rather steep dune that dipped a great distance down towards the sandstorm. Elsword could be seen already halfway down the descent while Rose assisted Cleri who was having trouble finding her footing.

Once the airship was out of sight, Raven turned to the noblewoman.

"Before we began our journey, you spoke with that member of the council, Thironin. He told you something that you clearly didn't like. What are we getting ourselves into?"

Never the one to beat around the bush, it was expected that Raven would be the first to ask. Though now that the question was put out the rest of the group, with the exception of Elsword who was almost at the bottom of the decline by then, were looking to Cleri for an explanation.

"I wasn't sure if the pilot was in on it either," Raven continued, "So I thought It'd be best to ask after he wasn't around to hear."

"It's probably good that you didn't," Cleri muttered, struggling to keep her balance as she took each step down with as much care as possible. The box was held tightly around her chest and even as she jostled it around, nothing could be heard rattling inside. "It's a political matter and if the pilot is aware of what's going on, he might have left us here if you weren't cooperative. Since it's a delicate matter, your presence might very well be needed if things go awry."

"Tch," Elesis spat, "Of course they'd be roping us into their political affairs. Let me guess: they want us to kill some leader or something that's been oppressing their border security?"

"No. It's a bit more complicated than that. You're all present as a preventative measure. I'm supposed to speak to the leaders of Garpai Village and discuss their relationship with Sander and the Caluso."

"Caluso?" Raven raised a brow at her, "What are those?"

Rose chimed in at the question, "It's the name of the native Sander population that stuck close to their traditional roots. While much of Sander has grown from its wealth, a large portion of the native tribes splintered away from those who pursued a more materialistic ideal. Decades pass and this divide is so apparent one wouldn't believe a Sander civilian could have once be related to a Caluso."

"Okay," Raven rubbed his chin in thought, "And where do we fit in this talk you're having?"

Cleri paused as she tried to find the words to explain, "Sander and the Caluso tribe are in the middle of an armistice. They've agreed not to fire among one another but rather than rebuilding the rift between them, it seemed to do nothing but widen the gap. Tensions between them are higher than ever and Sander, looking to uphold this armistice, wanted a more… subtle approach in taking the desert for themselves. That's where we come in.

"Garpai village sits along the border between Sander and Caluso territories and serves as neutral territory for the two sides. Garpai Rock is an excellent vantage point and whoever controls the village controls a powerful forward listening post for opposing activities."

"I think I see where this is going," Raven muttered, not too happy with what Cleri was explaining so far. The woman nodded.

"Thironin wants me to convince the village leaders to open their border to Sander troops. Since we're not associated with Sander, our actions doesn't necessarily break the rules of the armistice… So it's up to me to sway the leaders' opinions on doing just that…"

"And if they say no?" Elesis asked.

Cleri didn't answer. Her face grew pale, again, as she tried to find the words.

A blue message box appeared above her head, catching the other's attention.

 _We kill them._

Eve, who had been tailing behind them, finally caught up. Despite knowing who she was, Raven, Rose, and Elesis looked at her in disbelief, as if waiting for her to say she was joking. Cleri's eyes fell to the ground as she did not deny the words hanging above her.

Another message box.

 _Cleri has spent all night working on a means to convince them. I've read it over. It's long winded, but I've seen the logic and reasoning she put into her notes. She is quite knowledgeable in the art of negotiation. I believe she can do it._

"And if she can't, then we slaughter an entire village?" Elesis shook her head, "Fuck this. I'm not working for someone asking me to kill innocent people."

Another block of text stopped her in her tracks as she was just about to make her way back to the airship.

 _The pilot said he wasn't leaving until the job was done. I doubt he'd be allowed to take you back if you asked._

"Oh? And what about you, Eve? What about the rest of you? Are you just going to do as your told, then? Just walk in there and take innocent lives?"

"Cleri hasn't spoken to the leaders yet," Rose argued, "If we just give her a chance-"

"As _if_! I've already seen what she was capable of! I wouldn't put my trust on her!"

"You're the one that messed it up last time!" Rose began, once more.

"Everyone!" Elsword had climbed halfway up to the others, his face hot with anger, "Stop arguing and get down here. _Now_!"

"Did you not listen to what we're getting into?"

Elsword dashed Elesis' words away with a quick dismissive wave, "I don't care what it is. We have a much bigger problem now."

He pointed at the bottom of the dune, just at the edge of the sandstorm wall at a small, barely visible, disturbance in the otherwise smooth decline.

A giant screen winked into existence in front of the rest of the group as Remy flew closer. Zooming in towards what looked like a bump in the sand, revealed an ivory-colored cloth flapping against the wind. Zooming closer, one could see visible dark stains along the fabric. It wasn't until Remy flew directly over the object did it become clear what they were looking at: a body.

Dried from the sun, but not decayed enough to be bones, was a lifeless husk of a villager, half buried in sand.

"That's not all of them, either," Elsword continued, his face contorting to a deep grimace as he turned back towards the storm, "There's more."

"How many are we talking about?" Raven asked, stepping forward as he switched to rescue mode.

"See for yourself."

Elsword made his way back down the decline and the rest of the party followed. Before Rose and Cleri could follow, however, burning blade was drawn and held at their level.

"You two stay back," Elesis ordered.

Rose sneered at the red-head, "Like hell we would! We're coming with you."

"With her in tow?" the Blazing Heart motioned at Cleri, "Our job is to keep her safe. What kind of idiot would insist on bringing her along when there's clearly danger ahead? We'll handle this."

"Who're you calling an idiot?!"

Raven stepped forward, placing a hand on Elesis's arm and prompting her to lower her sword. "Rose. You're going to have to forgive our friend's blunt nature. She's a bit irritable as of late."

"I can see that," Rose snorted.

"But she's right. You should stay back and protect our client. We'll assess the situation at the village and come back when our work is done."

"But you'll need me," Rose argued.

"I don't know if you've forgotten or if you just haven't gotten it through your head, yet, but we're the El Search Party," Elesis said, "We're more than capable of getting the job done. We don't need your help. Now stay back like a good girl and watch the ship for us while we handle the dirty work."

Rose looked as if she were about to lose her cool when a hand touched her shoulder. Cleri stood next to Eve, quietly shaking her head at her. The markswoman shrugged her hand off but remained silent, garnering an approving nod from Elesis who then turned to the Nasod.

"Eve? Do us a favor and make sure they stay in the airship?"

 _You don't need my assistance?_

"As much as I'd appreciate your presence, right now I'd rather keep this one in check," Elesis motioned at Rose.

Eve sighed, brushing her hair back.

 _As you wish. Be careful out there._

* * *

"'I'd rather keep this one in check.' Hah!" Rose kicked a pile of sand in frustration.

"Rose…" Cleri sighed.

"Blaming the guy for having a stick up his ass… If anyone has a stick up their ass it's _her!_ " She kicked at the sand again before stomping the hole on the ground.

"Rose, that's enough."

"Who does she think we are? She's always looking down on us like we're nobody; like we're some kind of baggage that they have to carry around. I can carry myself thank you very much!" the blonde turned to Eve who was sitting at the cargo door entrance, "Is she always like this? How do you even deal with that bitch?"

The Nasod tilted her head at Rose. She shook her head no.

"No? No, what?"

A blue text box appeared over her head and Rose sighed as she was forced to read Eve's response.

 _Elesis means well. She is more aware of her faults than she lets on. I believe she feels guilty about it and needs to atone for what she did in someway. Putting herself in danger for your sake is the only way she knows how._

"Huh," Rose mumbled, quite surprised by the explanation, "Well, she doesn't have to be a complete bitch about it, you know."

 _She's not familiar with you or your capabilities as a fighter. If I were in her position, I'd be hesitant, as well, in bringing you along when I can be much more coordinated with Raven and Elsword's fighting style. They are members of the El Search Party, after all. They're accustomed to the idea of very few being able to match their prowess._

Rose turned to the Nasod quizzically, "Aren't you a member, too?"

Eve hesitated to answer before averting her eyes and slowly shaking her head. Rose looked as if she wanted to press further but relented, sighing to herself as she balled her hand tightly into a fist.

"I _am_ a capable fighter. I was selected to be Cleri's personal guard, after all."

 _Then forgive them for not knowing that outright. I think it's best if you'd never had to resort to that at all during your visit in Sander. Don't you think?_

Rose's expression softened, "That's surprising coming from you."

The Nasod tilted her head at the response.

 _What do you mean by that?_

Rose glanced at Cleri who looked on with a hint of confusion.

"I mean you're a lot different than how I remembered you… The… other you, I mean."

Eve's brow furrowed.

 _I don't understand._

The markswoman shook her head, "I'll tell you later."

"They sure are taking a while, though," Cleri mumbled, kicking her legs as she stared off at the sandstorm, "It's been almost half an hour… And you'd think the storm would've at least passed by now. But it doesn't seem to have moved at all."

The three girls all looked to the wall of sand.

"Yeah, now that you mention it… that is pretty weird."

"You don't think something's happened to them, do you?" Cleri asked.

Rose turned to the woman, electric blue eyes glinting at the question, "You're not asking what I think you're asking, are you?"

Cleri blinked before shrinking behind her box "What? No! It could be dangerous in there!"

"That's exactly why you're worried, right? What if they're in trouble? Oh the look on that woman's face when she realizes she needs my help!"

"Rose… I don't think that's a good ide-"

"Eve, watch Cleri. I'm going in to check on them. Come on, Zero!"

Before the Nasod could protest, the blonde was already making her way back down the dune. Her companion sighed, turning to the three Nasods, "When she sets her mind on something it's hard to make her change it. I'll keep in touch."

The yellow drone winked at Remy who gave him a single click before turning her head to the side.

"As if I'd open communication channels with such a crude creation," Remy whistled.

 _Please do so_. Eve ordered.

"Mistress?"

 _If there is trouble, Zero would be the fastest means of relaying information._

Remy bowed her head, "As you will, Mistress."

"Sorry…" Cleri blurted out of nowhere, "I probably should've stopped her. You might've been a better choice to go check things out instead of her."

 _You don't have confidence in her fighting ability?_

"No, it's not that. It's just that you're a Nasod. You can do so much more than she can… right?"

Eve turned away, focusing on the disappearing white speck as Rose, without hesitation, ran into the storm.

 _I can._

"That means you'd be the better choice."

 _Not necessarily. I can do more, yes but…_

Eve's focus turned to the bright red display in her peripherals.

 _I can't put myself at risk. Not in my current state._

Cleri's brow furrowed as she scooted closer to the Nasod, "Whatever do you mean?"

Eve stared straight ahead as she weighed in her options

 _You won't understand. No one does. Or at least… I don't think anyone does._

"The person your looking for?"

Eve nodded. _They're the only lead I have. With the way I am, my abilities as a Nasod are slowly deteriorating._

She waved her hand and a red flashing window appeared before her. With a sliding gesture, the window floated over to Cleri who stared at the display curiously.

Exotic Code Corruption: 60%

 _I can't repair myself as effectively as before, hence my damaged voice box. My ability to process and manage fleets of drones like Moby and Remy has deteriorated as well. I've since concluded this corruption to be the direct cause of it and it will only get worse as time goes on._

"That's horrible…"

 _Which is why I can't put myself at risk. I might be more of a burden to others than they think._

"I completely understand that feeling," Cleri giggled, "You know, as mean as Elesis was, to me, she has every right to be mad. I messed up and, realistically, I probably would have accepted a meeting with His Greatness far in the future being as timid as I am. It was nice of Rose to defend me, since I think she feels like we're outsiders to your little circle of friends, but I wanted to tell her to let it go. I wanted her to just let me be since I… pretty much deserve that scolding… not to mention getting you guys roped into this whole Garpai Village fiasco in the first place. I knew all of this was going to be difficult but… to ask us to negotiate a village or kill them if they don't cooperate? I would have never imagined such a request."

 _Yes. You did deserve a scolding. For one, I have important business to attend to back at the capital city. I did not wish to come along but because the matter involves my interests I am here to ensure its success. Secondly, Rose warned you against dealing with the Sander nobility. She knows more of the city than any of us do and it was unwise of you to ignore her. Thirdly, based on the questionable ethics of which Thironin has us acting on, I am tentative on whether or not he will uphold his end of the bargain._

"Sorry…" Cleri muttered, shrinking into her side once more.

Eve sighed.

 _But your attempts to rectify your mistakes are admirable, to say the least. Knowing the risks you dove headfirst into any solution that was given to you. Although the solution was… morally wrong, you were unaware of the potential consequences of your actions and tried to make it work anyways. And for that, I think I understand where you're coming from…_

"Y-you do?" Cleri whispered, trying to hold back the feeling of guilt from welling in her eyes.

The Nasod brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

 _In some ways, you remind me of him._

"Him…?"

Again Eve nodded.

 _Him._

"Your lover?"

A pause.

 _Yes._

"Who is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

The Nasod blinked, as she was presented with this question yet again. When she was asked yesterday she found it near impossible to put the name to his face. She knew his actions, his personality, and everything he did… but his name escaped her. She knew it. She had the answer. It was like staring at a single word written before her all she had to do was read it outloud but… it was written in a language she couldn't understand.

Deep in the core of her memories she searched for a translation. She looked to her personal code, looking to alter any string of incoherent lines that kept her from recalling his name.

"Why was this so difficult?" she thought as in her mind's eye she frantically searched for a solution, "Why can't I remember his name?"

She found it: an erroneous string of code that she was able to quickly begin rewriting. Finishing the string, the code seemed to be connected to another altered string. And another. And another.

She went over each of them in her mind, deleting and rewriting entire segments in a blink of an eye before moving to the next connected string. With each she slowly began to remember. Like a fading fog the answer was right there.

Eve came to a complete stop as she reviewed the last altered string deep within the confines of her personal programming. It wasn't code. It was a message:

 _Let me out._

"Mistress?" Remy called as the Queen of Nasods looked as if she were searching the sands at her feet for an answer.

"Is everything alright, mistress?" Moby chimed in.

Cleri waited for an answer but saw that Eve was struggling to come up with a response. She glanced at the red display still hanging in front of her and a conclusion was drawn as she put one and one together. She waved the hologram away as she slid closer, reaching over to pat the Nasod on her shoulder.

"Eve? It's okay if you can't remember. We can sit down and think on it some other day-"

"Cleri! Don't-" Moby tried to say but the shrill whistle of a drone couldn't translate to anything the woman could understand.

She placed a hand on her shoulder, snapping Eve out of her trance. The Nasod turned to the woman and, with one swift motion, landed a hard slap across Cleri's face.

The woman's glasses flew off her face, landing somewhere towards the front of the passenger cabin.

Eve stared at her hand, a mix of emotions swirling in her head as she realized what she had done.

 _It's a reflex._

Eve explained as her eyes darted from the red in her palm and the matching red mark on Cleri's cheek.

 _I highly recommend you refrain from doing that, again._

"D-doing what?" Cleri asked.

 _Touching me. I do that to everyone._

"I… I see," Cleri responded as she turned her face away towards the passenger cabin and began feeling around for her glasses.

The woman was as blind as a bat without her glasses. Eve watched her for a moment as she carefully shuffled on her hands and knees through the cabin before the Nasod stood and walked over to the small glint resting at the front corner of the room.

She bent down, picking up the pair of glasses and noticed a definitive crack that split the left lens vertically down the middle. She must have slapped her a little harder than expected.

Eve stood in front of Cleri who was sniffling as she shuffled blindly across the hot metal floor.

Moby whistled, catching Cleri's attention and she turned her tearful face upward at Eve who offered her her glasses back. A blue message box appeared next to Eve with a single word written on it.

 _Sorry._

Cleri took her lenses back, inspecting them and noticing the deep crack on one of them.

"It's fine," Cleri sighed, sitting on the bench and wiping her eyes before putting on her glasses, "It's fine. I'll just get another pair when we return to Velder."

Eve sat across from her, a small, barely noticeable pout across her lips.

 _I wasn't apologizing for the glasses, though I'm sorry for that, too._

"Oh…? Oh yeah. No need to apologize. I… I overstepped my boundaries. I just didn't expect that is all. I still think you're cool and all. It just… caught me by surprise."

Eve observed the woman who did her best to avert her eyes. She was holding back tears and it seemed the slap did a lot more than physically hurt her. Eve had no idea on how to handle this situation. Normally she was around much more headstrong women. To be in a position where she visibly upset someone like this… brought forth an emotional algorithm she felt only a few times before. She believed the humans called this "remorse". How did one normally handle this situation? What would _he_ do?

The Nasod slowly, carefully reached out to her. Cleri saw this and Eve noticed the slight recoil of her body that immediately halted Eve in her advance. That wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. She retracted her hand, feeling as if she did everything he would have but getting the incorrect result. Why was that?

"Mistress," Remy chimed in, "I've received a request to open comms with Rose's companion."

 _And?_

"He's requesting to speak to you two directly."

 _Patch him through._

The white drone's eyes flashed white then slowly shifted to blue. Suddenly, howling wind blasted through the drone's speakers accompanied by the distinct sound of gunfire and sand grating against the microphone.

"Am I through yet?" Zero asked, getting an acknowledging chirp from Remy, "Thanks, beautiful. Hey, Eve? You there? Hello?"

A blank text box hung over the queen's head as, clearly, she wasn't able to respond audibly.

"She's present and listening," Remy whistled, rolling her glowing blue eyes.

"Right, right," Zero responded. There was a noticeable gap in any communication whatsoever as the sounds of combat intensified. Gunfire filled the comms as Rose's voice could be heard in the background.

"Autos!"

"On it, boss!" Zero's gears could be heard grinding against one another before a series of short rapid bursts of gunfire filled the comms once more. The gunfire died and Zero returned his attention to Remy, "So you know how we sorta ran into the storm expecting to run into trouble?"

"Yes?" Remy chirped.

Another pause as both Rose and Zero seemed to be holding their breath.

There came a loud crunch followed by a crashing sound as a confusing whirl of wind and what sounded like rockets.

"Well we ran into trouble! And we could _really_ use your help right now!"

Eve rose out of her seat as a message appeared on her text box.

 _And the others?_

"What about the other three?" Remy asked.

"Redhead… she's in one piece but she's hurt in a bad way," Zero grunted as the sound of his gears turning filled the audio, "Leader kid and robot arm are MIA. Haven't had a chance to look but… working on covering for redhead."

Eve grimaced at the news. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. When forced to fight an unknown enemy in her condition, the most logical move would be to retreat.

Maybe it was the corruption in her system that was causing this irrational behavior. The changes to her system were impeding her ability to function on a large-scale macro level, perhaps this was a side effect of it, too. Or maybe it was something else deep inside her that coerced her to go; something she had grown to understand from being around these people. Either way, she couldn't leave her friends behind.

 _We're going._

"We're on our way," Remy reported.

"Take your time," Zero replied in a sarcastic sing-song manner.

 _Cleri, I have to go. Please wait here until we return._

"You don't need me?" the woman asked, still wiping her eyes.

 _Do you have combat experience?_

"Well, no… but I can-"

 _Wait here, then. If there's trouble, let Moby know._

"Mistress? You're leaving me?" the black drone chirped.

Eve knelt down before the black drone and ran her fingers over the armored hull.

 _Only temporarily, Moby. I trust in your ability to protect her. Can you do that for me? If we are ever in need of help, we shall call for you._

Hearing her praise caused Moby to whirr gleefully before twirling in place and dutifully taking his place beside the woman.

"I shall do my best, Mistress!"

Satisfied, Eve flicked her hair before turning to leave.

"Be safe!" Cleri called, hugging the box close to her chest. The Queen of Nasods looked over her shoulder, giving her an acknowledging nod before descending down towards the storm.

The decline was steep, forcing Eve to carefully shuffle her way down until she was near the base. All the while, Remy hovered next to her, acting as a support in case she lost her footing.

"Are you sure this is a wise thing to do, Mistress?"

 _I'm sure._

"But given your condition-"

 _Run a weapons diagnostic._

"Running-Mistress? Given your condition, I highly advise against this." A window appeared before Eve listing the entirety of her available arsenal.

 _Why isn't Hornet Stinger available?_

"Undefined error, Mistress…" Remy didn't need to elaborate on it any further. They both knew what this meant. Eve stood before the wall of sand. Being this close to the storm, the barrier was so clearly defined it almost looked as if a thin layer of glass separated the two weather conditions.

 _I'll make the necessary adjustments to our engagements._

Eve took one last moment to gather her resolve before stepping into the storm.

Immediately upon entry, the wind whipped violently at her frame, forcing her to shield her eyes. She pressed forward, stepping past another corpse half-buried in the sand.

"Mistress… with all due respect, you cannot fight like this. If you take any damage whatsoever-"

 _Begin weapon primer protocol._

"Priming all available weapons…" Remy reported with a disconcerted whirr of her engines.

 _Remy, I'm aware of the risks. But I can't leave them behind._

Each available weapon listed in the arsenal flashed to green. Eve noted her weapon priming speed was significantly slower than before. If things were going as she feared, then this would only be the tip of the iceberg. She eventually won't be able to use her weapons at all.

"Why not?" Remy asked, scanning ahead of her queen.

 _It's not something he would do._

"Who?"

Who, indeed. Eve didn't answer. The name was at the tip of her tongue but she didn't have time to think on it now. A brief image flashed in her mind's eye. A single message written deep within her personal code: Let me out.

She ignored the imagery. Whatever it was that left that message for her deep in her personal coding was a problem she would have to address later. She needed to finish this job. She needed to get her friends home safe and find who she's looking for.

Gritting her teeth she pushed through the storm, eventually reaching the first sign of civilization out in this vast desert: a destroyed gate on a worn stone path.

A large, lifeless figure lay under the arches. Stepping closer revealed thick layers of mottled fur and muscle. It was big. Similar in size to the demonic crushers she fought in Hamel. The beast looked bipedal with two long tusks jutting out of its lower jaw into a ridiculous underbite. The head, was smaller than the jaw that hung loosely under it and had large, pointed ears that flopped lifelessly against the rending gale. Upon closer inspection, Eve noticed distinct holes embedded into its hide. Bullet holes.

Gripped in its large, gorilla-like hands, were a stone shield and a hook-shaped stone sword. Fresh blood was stained the crude blade and appeared to leave a definitive trail towards the beast's side.

Eve followed this trail, walking around the body only to find a figure sitting with their back against the arch. It was Elesis.

"You're late," the redhead wheezed, clutching at the deep wound on her side. Eve knelt down to the Blazing Heart's level.

 _What happened?_

"We… saw a few villagers," Elesis grimaced as she adjusted herself in the sitting position, "We called after them but they… ran deeper into town. They _ran_ from us. We followed them in and we were… suddenly surrounded by these huge things."

Elesis nodded at the beast next to her.

"We got separated in the heat of combat… And here I sit, waiting for the others to come back… they haven't yet."

 _Are they still fighting?_

"I… think so? I could hear them every now and then… until blondy made an appearance. Stole my kill right before I could land a finishing blow… that bitch," Elesis coughed, a defeated smile appearing on her face.

Eve inspected the wound and found it bandaged with some off-white cloth. Rose's cloth. The wound was well taken care of and it appeared to have slowed the bleeding.

"Make sure she's okay… will ya?"

Eve nodded, dusting her legs as she stood. As she scanned her surroundings, a loud roar echoed through the wailing winds. Shortly after came the distinct sound of gunfire in the distance.

 _I'll see what I can do._


	8. Chapter 7: Let Me Out

**A/N: Hello! Big thanks to Aevari and Taee for proofreading this chapter! I wouldn't have been able to post this without you! And thank you readers for keeping up with me until now. Yes, i'm back to my regular posting schedule! This chapter is an actual first for me in writing Eve's combat in greater detail. It's a lot different compared to chung's where his is all about raw strength and swinging for the fences, Eve's is a lot more technical and coordinated with the help of her drones. Feedback would be appreciated as well as suggestions for how you imagine Eve fights like.**

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Visibility was minimal.

The sandstorm that violently battered Eve felt as if someone was wrapping her in sandpaper. Even Remy struggled to keep up with her mistress against the relentless gale.

"I'll catch up as soon as I can!" Elesis's voice was barely audible just a few steps behind her. The redhead was slumped weakly against the destroyed village gate. Elesis took a huge swig of a life elixir before laying her head back against the archway. The wound in her torso may have been patched enough to staunch the bleeding but it looked serious enough to warrant a proper visit to a doctor when they returned. Telling her to stay put and rest would be fruitless, however. Much like her brother, the Blazing Heart would only be encouraged to do the opposite if told to sit out.

Eve pressed on along the village's main street. As she advanced she noticed an entirely different beast corpse laying off to the side. Its body looked like that of a female humanoid but its appendages were that of a bird.

"Harpies," Remy chirped, "Records indicate they're native to this region."

 _I never imagined them to be so large._

"Their wingspan allows them to carry even the heaviest of cattle back to their nesting grounds. Extreme caution is advised against encountering such beasts."

Its jaw lay slack and a large, wound with dried blood was visible on her chest, seemingly pierced from behind. A spear, most likely. The idea of a human running up to these airborne beasts and driving a spear through its chest seemed highly unlikely, which was why she found it rather peculiar.

Losing interest on the body her eyes focused on the visible tracks on the ground that ran the entire length up and down the street.

 _A vehicle? Caterpillar treads, it seems._

Eve noted the deep grooves that dug into the ground. A set of two that appeared to run along the main road. Odd. The village was small and remote enough from the capital city that the idea of high-tech vehicles in the town was highly unlikely.

 _Heavy enough to leave tracks on stone._

"Possibly victims fleeing from town," Remy noted the crushed human bodies that riddled the rest of the path, "With little regard for the safety of its fellow man. Typical disregard for their own kind: killing each other for their own safety."

Eve frowned at the statement, immediately causing Remy to backpedal on her claim.

"I mean, at least for you, mistress, your actions were justified. The Nasod King had corrupted our people and genocide was the only option."

 _Genocide, huh._

Eve turned her attention back to the mainstreet.

"I-I didn't mean genocide, mistress. I meant-"

 _Movement detected._

Remy shook herself back into focus and trained her scanners towards the direction Eve was facing. Through the storm, they both noted a small shadow leap across the main street from the rooftop of a two-story building, onto another.

"One. Humanoid-"

Another shadow, much larger came bounding through. Like a combination of a bear and a gorilla, the second shadow's weight caused the building the first shadow had leapt off of to crumble under its weight as it pursued. As it leapt across the main street, it crashed through the rooftop, causing the entire building to collapse.

Gunfire filled the air followed by a monstrous roar.

"It's Rose!" Remy reported, already tracing a summoning portal above Eve's head.

 _Explosive whip._

"The whip, mistress? Wouldn't your blaster-"

 _Too heavy. Engagement demands mobility._

"Understood."

Eve could feel her El leave her as Remy used her mistress's life essence to power the portal. The circle the drone traced emitted a bright blue glow and data began to flow out of it. Eve extended her hand forward and a handle took form in her palm. The flexible weave of Nasod alloy ribboned outward from the handle, knitting itself into a slender, whip-like, shape before neatly coiling itself several times over in her hand.

With weapon in hand, the queen took off after the two, following the echoes of gunfire as quickly as she could. With a single bound, she leapt over a ruined wall and onto the rubble beyond. She traced their path over rooftops, thin walkways, beams teetering dangerously over destroyed homes. To an observer, Eve appeared to practically glide over each obstacle with unmatched grace. To Eve, it was a flood of information as she moved along a path marked by Remy.

"Approaching target," Remy reported.

Through Eve's eyes, an outline of the hulking beast was highlighted in bright red through the storm, prompting the queen to make a beeline straight for it. Its form was partially visible behind a destroyed mud wall, hunched over something.

 _Where is Rose?_

Eve asked as she closed the distance.

"Scanning… Here," the drone highlighted Rose's body in bright yellow. The beast had her pinned on the ground, pinching her neck between its thumb and index finger, "Caution advised, Mistress, when using the whip."

 _No time. We act now._

"Acknowledged, creating window of opportunity."

Remy propelled herself forward, slamming right into the beast's temple. Its form was visibly rocked by the blow as it blindly swatted over its head in an attempt to find what had hit it. The beast's raised arm was accented in a bright green hue followed by a tooltip of dozens of trajectory altering factors, including wind, momentum, and airborne obstacles. In this snapshot of a moment, Eve's processing power took in all of the calculations as she wound up her swing. With a flick of her arm, the whip ensnared the beast's arm, wrapping around its elbow and along its forearm.

Before it realized what had occurred, the Nasod sent an electrical current through her finger tips, detonating a series of charges woven into the whip's alloy. What followed was a series of micro explosions that effectively sliced through the flesh of the beasts arm like a saw. The whip fell slack as nothing solid was left to hold it in place.

All happening in a fraction of a second, by the time the beast realized its arm had been reduced to mush, a bullet had already found its way through its thick skull.

The smoking revolver remained pointed at the monster's head as the markswoman waited for any additional signs of life. The grip around her neck loosened and Rose rolled out of the way as the monster's lifeless body collapsed with a heavy thud. Her hands came to her neck as she coughed and gasped for air, all the while keeping her gun pointed at the motionless body before her. Satisfied, Rose spun the revolver in her hand and tossed it up in the air. It melded into a formless mass before Zero took shape from within the twisting runes.

"Took you long enough," Rose said, still catching her breath. She tapped the tip of her boot on the ground, checking the propulsion systems on them before doing an ammo count.

Remy whistled at the both of them, nodding accusingly at Zero who scoffed defensively.

"Hey! It's a joke," Zero began, "When I said 'take your time' I actually meant 'hurry your asses over here as quickly as you can'. Clearly your sarcasm detection program is malfunctioning."

Remy fired back, chirping sporadically at Zero in defense of her queen.

"As I said, I was joking! There's no such thing as a sarcasm de- you know what? Forget I said anything."

Eve approached Rose who had just finished giving herself a once over before giving the Nasod her attention.

"How's the redhead doing?" Rose asked, brushing the bangs out of her eyes.

 _Stabilizing. She told me to come look after you._

Rose snorted, "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm doing a lot better than the legendary 'Blazing Heart'."

 _You were near death._

"I had it under control," Rose stated, quickly before grumbling something about Elesis under her breath.

 _What is that thing?_

A text box read as Eve pointed at the slain beast. Like the corpse at Garpai's entrance, this one was a hulking monstrosity of muscle and fur. Its large, beady, lifeless eyes had a faint purple glow that continued to fade.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure," Rose began, showing the first sign of real uncertainty since they arrived in the region, "But I think that's a trock."

 _A trock?_

"Maybe? They're distant cousins of the pongoes that inhabit Lurensia… The ones I remember are nothing like these ones though. They're supposed to be tiny-like up to your hip in height if they stood on their tiptoes. Not the size of a damned house!"

 _What makes you think these are trocks, then?_

"They both have big pointy ears, for one. They have the same earthy grey fur and they're known to carry crude stone weapons like the one this thing was swinging around. Plus, I don't know if you noticed," Rose strode over to the body, kicking it at its disproportionately smaller hip. A skull-lined rope belt was tied around its waste, bearing a loin cloth with distinct green and purple dyes, "But trocks wear these sorts of clothes that depict the tribe they originated from. The animal skulls are new, though."

 _Anything I should know about taking one of them down? You seem to know a lot about these creatures._

"What? I guess fill them with holes?" Rose said with a shrug as she read through Eve's message, "Honestly, I couldn't tell you the best way to approach them. The trocks in my time were… a lot less violent in nature."

"Read 'peace-loving'," Zero added, "Sweet enough to give you cavities."

"The ones here? They're something else entirely. Either they evolved differently in your timeline or something else here changed them."

 _Your timeline sounds vastly different compared to ours._

Rose stepped towards a ruined hole in the wall. She paused, turning to give Eve a long once-over before locking eyes with hers. She held it for a moment longer than Eve was comfortable with before Rose shook her head as a grimace appeared on her lips, "You don't even know the half of it. Come on. We have to save Raven and Elsword."

 _Do you know where they are?_

Eve asked, moving after her.

"I think I do," Rose checked down the streets on either side before firing up the boosters on her legs, "I heard fighting further in. Care to investigate with me?"

 _Of course._

The blonde grinned at Eve before motioning for her drone to follow. "Zero, let's move!"

"Aye, boss!"

The boosters on her legs fired up and she leapt out onto the street, disappearing into the sandstorm once more at breakneck speed.

The Nasod pursued after her, albeit at a significantly slower pace. Even with Remy's guidance over obstacles, the queen was forced to chase after a fading trail left behind from Rose's thrusters.

All the while Eve ran, she was reminded of the tread tracks along the main road as well as several more corpses both fresh and old lining the streets. Trocks, harpies, and humans all lay strewn about as if all three races were fighting tooth and nail against each other. Even children and elderly weren't spared. Many looked as if they ran into the fray bearing anything they could grab as a weapon.

"Why didn't they retreat?" Eve thought as her headcount for human civilians climbed higher.

"Mistress, it appears we're approaching the town's square," her white drone reported.

As they drew closer, Remy highlighted Rose's location directly ahead of them. A live visual link was requested from Zero and after a short moment, Eve's peripherals were flooded with incoming data. Through the veil of the storm, numerous threats were noted in red. Harpies filled the skies above them, Trocks surrounded the ground level of the market square, and silhouettes of what clearly looked like humanoids lined the rooftops behind them.

Eve came to a stop as she spun around, immediately noticing the main road she came in on was quickly shut by more hulking beasts.

"Oh… shit," Rose whispered, upon realizing they were surrounded. She nearly backed herself into Eve before pointing out who she had been looking for further into the clearing.

"Elsword and Raven located," Remy chirped, highlighting the two men in blue standing near the center of the market square. Both of them stood back to back, a little more battered than usual amidst a pileup of bodies of trocks, harpies, and humans.

 _Elsword! Raven!_

Eve's pop-up message appeared in bright blue, catching both of their attention.

"Eve?! Help has arrived, finally!" Raven shouted over the howling winds, "Where's Elesis? Is she okay?"

The Nasod joined them, carefully stepping over the corpses that littered the floor.

 _Elesis is stabilizing. Rose is here with me._

Eve scanned the dozens of threats that surrounded them as she and Rose caught up with the other two.

 _You killed civilians._

"Els did," Raven corrected, motioning over his shoulder, "I told them it was against what we stood for to attack innocents but-"

"After what they did to my sis?" Elsword growled, "I'm not taking my chances around any of 'em."

 _The civilians attacked you?_

"Elesis didn't tell you?" Elsword grunted, not lowering his guard for a second as he kept his eyes on the surrounding enemies, "Of course she wouldn't-too proud to admit it: we were trying to escort these people to safety, but all they did was shout at us and call us outsiders. Then out of the blue one of these bastards pulled a knife on sis and stabbed her in the gut before running off with the rest of them."

"Then this idiot decides to chase after them, leading us right into a trap," Raven added, "I thought we were past this, Els. You know better than this. This entire town is a warzone, and we walked right in the middle of all of it… and to make things worse they suddenly decided to act all buddy-buddy with each other."

 _It would seem that way._

"What are they waiting for?" Rose asked, noticing that neither the humans, harpies, nor the trocks, had made a move yet.

"We don't know. But they were all on us just moments ago before suddenly backing off," the Half-Nasod replied, "Something must be controlling them."

Laughter filled the air as an unfamiliar voice of a woman cut in, strangely unhindered by the storm. "Finally! It took you long enough."

It sounded as if whoever was speaking was standing right behind Eve, yet as she spun around, she found no one there. The others reacted in a similar fashion, moving back to back as they searched for the source. "I was starting to think you all were too stupid to figure that out," the voice continued. A large shadow, much larger than the Trocks and almost as big as a two-story house, came into view.

Like a giant, round boulder, each step the being took shook the floor, cracking the stone under its weight. Its flesh was salamander red and marred with deep dark scars from years of battle. Chains wrapped around its rotund body holding up massive plates of bladed armor. A giant axe rested on one shoulder and its tiny beady eyes were almost hidden behind a large jaw plate that outlined the row of tusks protruding from its lower jaw.

The being towered over the four, shielding them from the sandstorm and giving the party a glimpse of the speaker who sat on its other shoulder.

The first striking feature Eve noticed was the speaker's wings. Large, bat-like wings surrounded the speaker, shielding them from the storm and shrouding their form in darkness. A devil's tail flicked lazily from side to side before wrapping itself tightly around their leg while the wings parted, revealing the individual inside. It was a woman. She wore a form-fitting, revealing attire that hugged her voluptuous body and left little to the imagination. Bright red hair was tied into pigtails, highlighting the black and purple horns that protruded from her head.

This individual sat on the large demon's shoulder, her body exuding seductivity that even Eve was able to recognize. A smug, condescending grin was splayed across the woman's face as she looked down upon the four intruders.

"Demon," Elsword growled, turning his blade towards the two, "What's your business here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," the demon giggled. The succubus eyed the young man, her grin widening as she gave Elsword a quick appraisal. "A Velder Knight… what's a stud like you doing in my neck of the woods? Are you lost?"

The hateful sneer never left the young man's face and as the demon spoke, Eve noted the slight tremor of Elsword's grip on his blade. "Who are you?"

"You may call me Karis," the demon replied, not taking her eyes off of him. She drew in a deep breath, as if taking in the sweet aroma of a delicious meal, "And… oh my. I know this scent. You poor… unfortunate soul. I can take your pain away, if you let me."

Ignoring her offer the young man pressed on. "What have you done to these people? Tell me!" he demanded.

"That's none of your concern, handsome," she said, her interest clearly growing as she bit the tip of her finger before leaning forward, "But I'm willing to trade information if you're willing to give me something else in return."

The Lord Knight returned the offer with a deep, hate-filled growl, "I'd rather beat the answer out of you instead."

"So straightforward!" a disappointed pout formed on Karis's lips, "You're missing out on half the fun if you skip the foreplay, you know? Why not indulge yourself a little?"

"We're not playing your game, demon!" Elsword yelled.

"You're no fun," Karis sighed. She looked over the others, appraising each of them before losing interest in general. "I was making a simple… mutually beneficial offer here, and if you don't want to indulge yourself… then our business is done here."

She snapped her fingers and the entirety of the village leapt into action in one unified assault. The demon's wings expanded and she took to the skies.

"Everything is nearly ready. It's a shame you won't be there to witness it," Karis laughed, "Waldo? See to it that they're taken care of. I have others who require my services."

"Get back here!" the knight demanded.

"Now's not the time, Els!" Raven grunted as the rest of the party stood back to back against the incoming horde.

"What do we do?" Rose asked, eyes darting from trock, to human, to harpy, "I don't think we have the luxury to ignore the civilians."

"Try not to hurt them," Raven ordered.

 _Understood._

Eve's blue text box read as she turned her attention to the nearest threat.

"Not possible, we kill them," Elsword interjected. The conflicting orders caused Rose and Eve to hesitate.

Raven turned to the young man "Els! For the last time, we are _not_ going to-"

The knight lunged forward, thrusting his blade straight through the chest of a deranged woman and driving her into the ground before withdrawing his weapon. Without missing a beat he spun to his left, blocking a would-be fatal blow from a man bearing a pitchfork. He snapped the head of the weapon off, kicking the man back before turning to cleave another civilian in half at the hip.

"If we're going to get out of this alive, we're going to have to. You saw what they did to my sister. You do as I say. And that's final."

Scanning through the other two's faces, Eve could still see a bit of hesitation in the Rose and Raven's eyes. Raven moreso. The half-nasod gripped his blade tighter as he tried to find the words to express his disapproval and Elsword stood there, challenging him to say otherwise.

A hulking trock loomed over Raven. Spinning his blade around, the mercenary drove the sabre into the beast behind him before turning to face the beast. Gripping the blade with his mechanical arm, the weapon was pulled upward and out from the trock's shoulder, severing everything else along the way.

"We're going to have a nice, long, talk about all this when we get back, Elsword," the man said, moving to the next closest enemy-a mind-controlled civilian-and cutting their arm off with a quick, clean slice.

"Mistress?" Remy chirped, garnering Eve's attention, "Numerous threats identified. Even with the additional help from the humans, it will prove difficult in keeping you from harm. Moby's assistance is recommended."

 _Unnecessary. Cleri's safety is jeopardized if he leaves her. We will continue without him._

"But… mistress!"

 _Summon my blaster._

Remy clicked in disapproval as she took in Eve's El and used it to open a portal. As Remy circled above Eve, the drone's eyes noted incoming threats, highlighting what she could see in a bright red outline around them.

Data for her atomic blaster took shape in her hands, its bulky, heavy form causing Eve to heft the weapon with some difficulty. Fresh belt-fed plasma rounds were loaded into the feed as Eve revved up the blaster's engines. Dozens of targets were marked in kill order from closest to furthest and she swung the barrel of the massive gun towards the oncoming horde. She pulled the trigger, bracing herself for the recoil as a rope of plasma rounds dotted holes onto the nearest trock. The shield did little to protect it when the molten rounds punched through the bone material and melted through flesh and fur.

Presumed dead before the rest of the rounds connected, Eve was already switching priority to her second target. She swept the weapon to the left, saturating the area in her cone of fire until the barrel was pointed at the second target, a human. There was little hesitation, given her orders, as the woman was brought down from the sheer heat of the plasma rounds that blazed by her. The ones that actually connected left nothing but an empty melted hole.

The blaster continued to spit out round after round, cutting down the number of opposition in her side. Yet for every enemy she added to her kill count, another seemingly crawled out of the many corners and alleys of the town to join the coordinated assault. After buying herself a few seconds of breathing room, however, she quickly checked on the others.

Rose was nowhere to be found. Assuming she must have moved herself elsewhere, Eve's attention fell on Raven who, despite efficiently dispatching anyone that got within reach of his sabre, was slowly becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of civilians that surrounded him. It was clear he was doing his best not to harm them. For every child, or elderly person that threw themselves on him, he took an extra moment to turn his blade, striking them with the blunt edge before disengaging and finding the next nearest threat.

Although he excelled in clean, precise kills, it was clear that his ability to subdue and render targets unconscious wasn't his strong point. More often than not, the targets he disengaged from were only downed temporarily before they pursued him with renewed vigor. Hands began to reach for him, limiting his movement and freedom in cutting through the trocks and harpies.

"He refuses to take their lives," Remy chirped, "He won't last."

Eve hefted her plasma rifle, spinning up its engines as she waited for a clear shot.

 _Raven! Stand Clear!_

Her message went unnoticed. Caught in the thick of battle and completely unaware that assistance was waiting on him, the Half-Nasod punched, kicked, and headbutted the growing masses of mind-controlled humans. An elderly man, unseen amidst the swarm, lunged for his legs, causing Raven to lose his balance.

Although unplanned, this was the opening she needed. As the man fell on his back, Eve pulled the trigger, slowly sweeping the barrel from left to right as the bullets tore through soft human flesh.

Eve's on-screen ammo counter rapidly depleted until it flashed red. Her blaster clicked empty, prompting her to call in more ammo as she returned her attention to her side of the battlefield. Remy traced her summoning circle and data began to flow from it again, taking shape of a new belt of plasma rounds.

At the corner of her eye, she could see Elsword locked in battle with Waldo. The knight had just barely managed to dodge a downward swing of the demon's gigantic axe but the strike alone was enough to shake the entire village. The powerful tremor caused several buildings to crumble and send a wave of unstable earth outward that shook Eve off balance. The belt of ammo missed its mark, clattering to the floor once it fully manifested. She hastily made a grab for it before an alert chimed in her display.

"Above!" Remy chirped as a harpy dove in on her.

The white drone flew up to meet it, colliding into its ribs in such a way that the harpy narrowly missed Eve and instead came crashing to the ground. The harpy writhed next to the Nasod and Eve quickly turned to finish it off.

"Incoming!" Remy's warning came just at the nick of time as a flood of information filled Eve's head. With Remy working as her second pair of eyes, the Nasod quickly ducked a swing from a trock's bone sword as it narrowly missed her.

She spun around, turning the barrel of the weapon to the beast. Instinctively, she pulled the trigger, getting an empty click from the blaster at the most inopportune time. Eve was suddenly jerked upwards and pulled off of her feet. Pain filled her circuits as the trock held her aloft by her hair.

In a shrill panic, Remy threw herself at the beast only to be batted away with the monster's free hand. It raised its blade at the Nasod, looking to cleave her with a single blow when it suddenly arched its back, roaring in agony.

"I got you!" Raven shouted, appearing behind the beast, his coat soaked in blood. He guided the blade further up the monster's spine. Eve silently opened her mouth in pain as her body was subsequently pulled further off the ground. With its dying breath the trock flung the Nasod away from the others. She watched as the ground moved further away from her feet, until it disappeared from her peripherals completely.

"Eve!" she heard Elsword call for her.

She crashed through a metal gate, its damaged hinges giving way as she rolled backwards onto a neatly paved walkway, coming to a stop in a soft layer of overgrown exotic plants. Eve immediately brought up a window for damage assessment, rubbing her head as her hair had nearly been pulled from their roots. Her spinal frame in the assessment window flashed yellow for moderate damage, but otherwise she was still functional.

The Nasod pushed herself off of the ground, stumbling out of the strange, out-of-place gathering of plants and found herself staring at an empty, gated, plot of land. It was as if a house-no-an entire estate had once been here.

A text was received from Remy in their shared log.

 _Mistress? Where are you?_

 _I'm fine, Remy. I believe I was thrown… north-northwest of your location._

 _On my way!_ Moby joined the channel.

 _Is everything okay? Do you need me?_

 _Standby, Moby. I don't need your assistance as of yet._ Eve replied.

 _Oh… well. Like it or not, we're coming!_

 _We? You mean Cleri?_

 _Yep! She's not listening to me! I don't think she can understand chirping._

 _Moby, you are forbidden from allowing her to go anywhere near here! That's an order!_

 _Tell her that, mistress! Oh, wait! Bad people! I'll be right back._

 _Moby!_

A loud, ear-splitting roar echoed from the center of the village. As she focused on the source, Elsword was seen flying through the brush, sliding against the ground until he stopped at Eve's feet. He groaned, rolling back to his feet and wiped the blood running down his lip. The silhouette of the behemoth demon Waldo appeared through the storm, the earth thundering with each step he took. He looked larger; much larger than before. A red and purple aura emanated from him as the visible cuts and holes in his body rapidly healed into new scars. With each freshly closed wound, Waldo's aura seemed to grow.

The knight leaned forward, using the blade as a cane as he tried to catch his breath. His body shook as it seemed he was on the verge of collapsing. Slowly, he shook his head, a frustrated, almost distraught cry escaping his lips. Glancing around he finally noticed Eve standing behind him. Eve could see the way his eyes widened, as if caught in a moment of vulnerability, the look of surprise and uncertainty vanished. Replacing it was an expression of confident zeal. She knew this expression: it was the defiant look he gave anyone when he knew he was doing something inexcusably stupid. Although, this time, something was off.

"You might… wanna stand back, Eve," Elsword said, his breath was haggard as he took a more defensive stance. Quickly scanning the young man, it appeared his arm was broken as it hung limply to his side, and he held his sword with his off-hand instead. With the possibility of Cleri being danger as well, this job was already compromised. She had to tell Elsword to call this mission off.

 _You're hurt. We should retreat for now._

The text above Eve read. To her dismay, Elswords eyes were set on the demon in front of him and the Nasod's message went completely unnoticed. Trying to grab his attention, she created another text box, sliding it in front of him.

 _Elsword?_

Either he didn't see the message or was purposefully ignoring it. Regardless, the young man charged forward, leaving her behind as El flowed into his sword. The energy took form, extending it into a massive magical blade. With no added weight to the weapon, Elsword brought the armageddon blade down on Waldo with a mighty downward swing.

Waldo's eyes widened as he raised his axe, meeting the blow with the demonic steel of his axe. Even with the magically enhanced strength, the attack was easily blocked and Waldo effortlessly pushed the blade aside and pushed forward, closing the distance on the young knight.

Unflinching in the face of danger, Elsword rebuffed his attack, lining up his strike and driving the magic blade forward in one all-in attack. The sharpened tip slid off the massive metal plate protecting Waldo's chest, drawing sparks as it traced itself upward and severing one of the chain links that held the thick armor together. It drove through the demon's flesh and into Waldo's shoulder joint until the shining tip pierced completely through the rotund monster.

But to Elsword's surprise, the demon did not flinch, nor did it slow in its advance as it pushed closer and closer, purposefully running itself along the length of the armageddon blade. The redhead struggled to wrench his weapon free but found himself staring up at the demon's horrific grin. The wound on Waldo's shoulder bled sickly black El that only seemed to coalesce into the demon's gigantic axe. Infused with new strength, the demon wound back his blade, high above his head, lining up for the cleanest cut while the young man looked wildly undecided whether to ditch his weapon and run or attempt to free it. Yet the longer he stood there, the more apparent his decision became as he hastily tried to undo the sword enchantment.

 _Elsword! Run!_

The message was, of course, unseen and, in her frustration Eve hesitantly took a step towards him, unsure whether to put her life on the line to pull him out of there or simply watch him die.

"Mistress!" Remy whistled, appearing in the storm was a small white dot in the distance, "I'm here! What do you need of me?"

Without thinking, a single order was given its urgency written only in a level that her trusted drone understood.

 _Save Elsword!_

Eve marked the target not too far in front of her and it only took a split second for Remy to read the situation and veer off her initial course without a single word of protest.

Remy slammed into Elsword's side, pushing him off his feet and peeling his only functioning arm off of his sword hilt just as the giant axe came crashing into the earth.

The resulting impact sent another shockwave with Elsword and Remy taking the brunt of the blast. Dirt and rock were flung outward as Eve was knocked backwards from the force of the explosion.

She flew to the opposite end of the estate clearing, her back slamming against a stone pillar that supported the metal fence.

Something gave.

Amidst the surge of pain and the storm of warning displays that filled her screen, the one that caught her attention was the damage assessment window. The wiring for her body had been severed from the damaged spinal column.

She couldn't move.

 _Remy?_

No response. She coughed, shaking the dizziness in her head as she closed all the irrelevant windows in an attempt to locate her drone through the settling dust.

 _Remy, respond. I am unable to move. Immediate emergency repairs necessary._

Again, nothing. A new sense of dread filled the Nasod's senses. Slow, thundering footsteps could be heard approaching her. In the distance, Waldo's massive shadow could be seen drawing ever closer. Elsword's armageddon blade could be seen still protruding from the demon's chest.

 _Remy?_

"Eve!" Rose appeared, flying in and sliding to a stop next to the Nasod, "There you are! Are you okay? Where's Elsword?"

 _Elsword's location is unknown. I am unable to move._

"You can't move? Why?"

 _Significant damage to spinal column detected. Emergency repairs to nervous system is necessary._

"Oh… that's not good. You can fix yourself though, right?"

Eve shook her head, struggling to train her eyes up to Rose's

 _No._

"What? What do you mean no? Aren't Nasods supposed to-"

 _I need Remy._

"Who?"

"She means the white drone, boss," Zero replied, "Make it quick, big guy's coming."

Rose looked about in a panic. The white drone was nowhere in sight.

"What do you need me to do?"

 _Find Remy. She was with Elsword. Near the blast._

"Okay. Right," Rose muttered, standing and turning to Waldo, "Finding Remy would mean I'd find Els, too."

 _Bring Remy to me. She can fix me. Hurry._

"Got it," Rose revved her boosters, "I'll see what I can do."

The footsteps were nearly upon them. Rose darted away from Eve, leaving a trail of smoke that caught Waldo's eye. Eve could see the large figure turn, tracing the line to its source.

"Over here!" Raven's voice echoed through the storm as the thunderous footsteps came to a halt. The mercenary's shadow could just barely be seen darting in from a high angle, the sound of flesh tearing as he sliced diagonally through his target before landing in front of the monster. He stood defiantly in the demon's path, the spines of his Nasod core were driven into his limbs, guiding and enhancing his movement.

"You compensate your lack of actual fighting skill with hyper regeneration," the Half-Nasod commented, "Pathetic."

Waldo uttered a deep, bellowing laugh, his voice sounding just as heavy as his body, "You are one to talk with that machine assisting you. Come then. Show me how a true warrior bleeds."

Raven's shadow took his signature ready stance, "You'll have to hit me first." The Nasod core attached to his back began to glow a bright amber and, nearly faster than Eve could blink, Raven had vanished, reappearing near the demon's left leg as he severed Waldo's tendon. He vanished, again, appearing at the right leg and repeating the action before taking to the air.

Waldo, who was still turning to his left after the initial strike, was suddenly sent tumbling forward as a heavy blow from the mercenary's mechanical arm slammed into the back of the monster's head. The demon rolled on his back, swatting at the mercenary who threaded himself through the monsters fingers before driving his sabre into the demon's chest.

Raven quickly turned to the armageddon blade still impaled in the in Waldo's shoulder.

"I'll be taking this back," the Half-Nasod said. He gripped the handle, causing the energies of the magical sword to dissipate. Dark El energies flooded out of the wound like a sickly syrup as he removed the disenchanted sword and narrowly slipped out of the demon's grasp.

The rushing sound of thrusters could be heard closing in and Rose reappeared, sliding to a stop by Eve. She held a white ball to her chest and she knelt down, a look of uncertainty splayed across her face.

"I, uh, found your drone. I also found Elsword. He was barely breathing but I had to rush this thing to you." She let the lifeless orb roll on to Eve's lap and the Nasod saw, among minor scratches and broken pieces, a deep dent concaving inward on the drone's rear hull, "Will this do?"

Remy's engines weren't running. It'd be impossible to with the large dent preventing any of internal gears from operating.

 _Remy..._

Without question, the drone had put herself in danger for someone else other than her mistress. Eve would hug the drone if she could but given her condition, all she could do was stare at the lifeless orb sitting on her lap.

"I… I have to go help Elsword," Rose said, unsure of what to do next since Eve was doing nothing but staring at the drone, "I'll be back for you soon. Just hang tight."

Rose darted back towards where she found their leader, leaving Eve to mourn for her loyal companion. She closed her eyes, apologizing to her drone for ignoring her warnings. It was foolish of Eve to put herself in danger despite her condition. And now, Remy was gone. Moby would be crushed.

Her eyes snapped open, remembering that Moby was on his way. She reopened her chatlog, pinging for her second companion in hopes that he was somewhere nearby. There was no return ping but the chat log opened anyways. Confused, Eve sent a message:

 _Moby? Are you there?_

No response. But the message had been received.

 _Moby, immediate assistance is required. I am unable to move._

Eve took a deep breath, knowing the next part of her news would upset the black drone greatly.

 _Remy's… gone, too. I asked her to save Elsword, exposing her to danger and destroying her engines in the process. I'm unable to repair her._

The message was received. Still no response.

 _Moby, I'm sorry. When we rebuild her, I'll do my best to remind her of who you are._

The message was received. This time, there was a response.

 _I can fix her._

The response was strangely flat. Far unlike her black drone.

 _Moby? You know you can't fix her. We don't possess the ability to repair damage this significant. It's been lost to us since the corruption._

 _I can fix both of you._

This definitely didn't sound like Moby. Still, if the black drone knew how to bypass the corruption restrictions, any solution would help.

 _You can? How?_

 _Let me out._

Eve's eyes widened as she immediately closed the chatlog. She hadn't been speaking to Moby. The corrupted code was talking to her directly. If it could hijack her communications log, then it'd be only a matter of time before-

A blinking red window opened in her heads up display, a single message flashing in white filling the screen:

 _Let me out._

Another window opened, and another, then hundreds of flashing windows filled her peripherals with the same single message flashing in white:

 _Let me out._

Raven let out a labored grunt as the Nasod core powered down, pulling itself from his limbs and causing him to fall over in pain. He hurried to his feet, rolling into a defensive stance and meeting the downward swing of the axe and redirecting it just enough to miss him with his blade and Nasod arm.

His blade shattered from the impact and the robotic arm buckled under the pressure. Even still, Raven just barely managed to slip by, his body wracking in pain as his Nasod arm reacted violently to the damage.

"No crutch for you, human," the demon laughed, stomping the ground and sending a ripple of earth outward, knocking the mercenary airborne.

Just before Waldo could snatch him from the sky, Rose flew in, catching him and pulling him off to the side.

"Run!" Waldo bellowed, "That's all you can do against me! Flee for your insignificant little lives!"

 _I can save them_ , the message on Eve's window flashed.

Them? Unsure of who the entity was referring to, it responded as if it could clearly read Eve's thoughts:

 _Remy. Raven. I can save them._

 _How?_

 _Let me out._

Eve gritted her teeth, her stance on the matter wavering as she saw Rose doing her best to drag Raven's writhing body back towards Eve.

 _Never!_

 _Let me out. They all will die if you don't._

Remy's lifeless hull rolled off her lap, Her empty lenses stared up at its mistress as a rush of guilt filled the queen.

She could feel her grip on her own resolve loosening. Again, as if reading her mind, the entity opened another window for her:

 _Full Generate Mode: Initiate / Cancel_

Eve stared at the screen, her eyes darting from either choice. There was no other demand given as the window waited for her decision. This was all on her. And as she weighed the consequences in her head, all she could feel were a pair of empty, accusing eyes staring back at her.

She made her decision, regret filling her along with the sudden surge of power that filled her body. Feeling returned to her from the neck down and she watched the minute twitch of her legs as she regained control of the rest of her body. She was running a repair protocol. But none of her drones were there to assist her with it. Spines protruded from her back as she stepped away from the stone gate, taking the shape similar to wings. Energy coursed through these spines as portals to pocket dimensions opened and closed around her.

Eve remembered this sensation-the feeling of limitless potential as more and more of her lost programming suddenly came online. Everything she was able to do before the corruption was at her disposal as well as an array of defensive protocols she had yet to access. A display hologram with a single decorated banner appeared before her:

 _Hello world! Full Generate Mode: Initiated!_

Energy burst forth around her, causing a temporary stillness of the storm. Her body was brimming with so much energy that sparks of electricity crackled around her. Even the demon noticed the shift in the air around him.

"Eve…?" Rose paused, gently laying Raven down on the floor as she stared in awe.

The queen turned to her white drone and, with a simple gesture, the orb levitated off the ground and flew to her. Her eyes inspected the damage as it rotated in front of her lifelessly. All that was required was a simple thought and a pocket dimension was opened. Data began to flow into the drone. Parts were replaced, dents were undone, and the soft hum of an engine starting up could be heard as it continued to spin before Eve. Life returned to its lenses as she slowed to face Eve.

"Remy_004, at your service, my queen," the white drone whistled.

"You… fixed her?" Rose whispered, "I thought you said you couldn't-"

Eve turned to the two humans. She extended a hand towards Raven and the mechanical arm lurched towards her through some unseen force. It raised itself into the air, following Eve's gesture, turning just as she did. With a simple nod as if giving it permission to proceed, the arm locked in place as more pocket dimensions appeared around it. Like Remy, pieces were torn off and replaced. The pain that wracked Raven's body rapidly diminished and in moments, the arm was gently laid back on the floor, a beautiful sheen replacing its worn appearance.

"Eve? How did you-" Rose began but was interrupted as Eve raised a hand and turned to face Waldo.

"Wait here," Eve said.

"Y-you can talk-" Rose was at a loss for words, "What's going on here?"

"I'll explain later," Eve replied, her attention not on the approaching demon but a flashing red display as a certain number ticked up once more.

 _61%_

"I don't have much time."

The demon stepped into view, his increased size blocking the wind as the blood from his wounds surrounded his body in a familiar dark aura.

"Neither do I," Waldo bellowed, "I cannot leave Mistress Karis waiting."

Like fire, the aura around the demon began to burn wildly as the ground began to shake.

"He's going to blow again! Eve! Get out of there!" Rose yelled, grabbing Raven as she attempted to pull him to any form of cover.

The demon let out another ear-splitting roar as El energy burst forth in another massive explosion with Eve, Rose, and Raven standing at ground zero.

The explosion leveled whatever was left standing around the square. Stone houses that had withstood the ongoing battle crumbled like a deck of cards. The foliage that filled the empty estate lot were ripped from their roots and flung outward. Even surviving trocks in the area were sent flying.

As the dust settled and the storm resumed its pace, Waldo's size reverted to its original, his wounds closing and leaving deep, visible scars. He thumbed the broken chain that held his chestplate in place before turning to leave.

Suddenly, a rocket connected with his exposed shoulder. The resulting impact blew the flesh off, leaving a gaping wound that caused the surprised demon to lose his balance and fall over. The exposed bone could be seen only briefly before the muscle began to knit itself together as he rolled over in search of the source.

A blue, grid-like shield stood where he had last seen the humans. As the shield came down, he saw the two humans completely unscathed despite standing within the immediate blast zone. Eve was with them, discarding the rocket launcher she held, its remains evaporating in a puff of data as it hit the ground.

The demon grunted and attempted to push himself back up with his only functioning arm. "You survived. Impressive, but fruitless. Every wound you inflict, every limb you sever, I will return your punishment a hundred fold."

Eve pointed skyward and the demon followed her finger to a white drone who flew high above them. It traced a massive portal ushering in a gigantic spear that slipped into their dimension. With a simple flick of her finger, the spear was hurled downward, impaling the demon and effectively pinning him to the ground. The chain supporting his chestplate on the opposite shoulder was snipped like a string under the incredibly sharp spear tip, letting the plate hang loosely by the chain wrapped around Waldo's waist.

The Nasod approached the downed demon who struggled to wiggle himself free from the gigantic spear buried into his other shoulder. His previous wound had almost completely knitted itself together, and he used that arm to grip at the blade. Merely touching the Nasod steel caused the sharp edge to dig deep into his hand, slicing his fingers off as he tried to grasp it. He pulled his fingerless hands away as the appendages began to regrow.

As Eve drew close, she stomped on the ground, causing smaller spears to erupt from the ground before her. They bent to her will, creating stairs for her to climb on top of the demon. She stood on the demon's chest, her hand gently caressing the large spear that pinned him to the ground.

"This is nothing," Waldo snarled, clearly unfazed by the damage she had caused him, "As long as I have El, I will never die."

Still partially growing, he flexed his newly regenerated fingers and made a grab for the little Nasod. Another large spear fell from the sky, nailing his arm back to the ground. Waldo let out a surprised gasp, looking up he saw the drone waiting patiently for an opportunity to protect her mistress.

Eve turned by the heel and faced the loosely hanging plate sitting on his chest. With another stomp of her foot a massive spear erupted from the ground, punching through Waldo's chest and knocking the heavy plate out of the way.

"Remy," the queen ordered, prompting the white drone to fly in from above, "Scan here."

The drone gave a quick chirp before quickly running a scan over the demon's exposed chest area.

"What… are you doing?" Waldo questioned, a hint of distress evident in his voice.

"I've faced many demons before," Eve explained, turning face Waldo, "In Feita, Velder, and most recently, Hamel. But it was during my time in Hamel that I've learned a crucial lesson on dealing with your kind. You may have strength, size, and hyper regeneration... but you are most certainly not above death."

Remy whistled, marking a small point in the demon's flesh with a laser pointer.

"Your enemy just has to know exactly where to strike."

Waldo's eyes widened.

"Wait!" the demon protested in an uncharacteristic show of fear.

"As I've said," Eve began, her focus not on the demon's eyes but instead on a red display floating in her peripherals.

 _70%_

"I don't have much time."

Without looking, Eve snapped her fingers. A spear was driven into Remy's designated location and, for the first time, the demon's face contorted in an expression of pure agony. Eve turned, stepping off the demon as he writhed about, unable to move under the spears. Waldo's body convulsed wildly as his limbs began disintegrating into ash.

His body withered quickly, reaching half its size in a matter of seconds, and was no longer recognizable shortly afterwards. Through the plumes of ash that scattered into the sandstorm, a single spear stood where Waldo once lay. A small shard of El, no bigger than the palm of Eve's hand, lay shattered under the blade's tip.

"He's… gone?" Rose whispered in disbelief, "So it's over."

"Far from it," Eve replied, scanning the area around her.

"Remy, scout for additional threats. Quickly."

"No additional threats of note, mistress," Remy replied quickly and to Eve's surprise.

"All of them?"

"Without a doubt."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The other companion informed me."

"Who? Moby?"

A voice could be heard in the distance calling for Rose and Eve. Shortly after, a request to open comms was received in Eve's display.

 _Cleri and I have arrived! I killed all the baddies! Er, actually no. Cleri and I both killed all the baddies!_

 _Moby! There you are!_

Sure enough, Eve's black drone appeared with Cleri slowly making her way over the leveled remains of a building. She stumbled, prompting Moby to catch the noblewoman. Cleri adjusted her glasses and waved the others down.

"Cleri! You're not supposed to be out here, you know! It's dangerous!" Rose replied, running over to her.

The woman looked largely unscathed, save for a few scratches and tears on her expensive clothes. Eve's eyes met with Moby's and the black drone chirped happily as it flew over to Eve.

 _Hi, Mistress! Hi, Remy. Are you two okay? I know I wasn't allowed to move but we heard this big scary roar and Cleri got really scared for you all. And then I tried to tell her to stop but she doesn't speak drone so she mistook me for encouraging her rather than discouraging. But wow! You should've seen Cleri! She was like zap! Pow! Zing! It was really cool! At first I was like "Whoa, watch out!" but then I was like "Whoa! Watch out!" to the bad guys, instead! And then..._

A collective sigh escaped the survivors in that moment. If the threat was truly gone for now, then Eve had a more pressing matter to attend to. As Moby's flood of text filled the chatlog, Eve's focus darted to the number on her display. It ticked up to 71% and she hastily ran the shutdown sequence on her Full Generate mode. As the shutdown screen appeared, a message pushed itself to the front and center in her display.

 _Parting with me so soon?_

Eve gritted her teeth, saying nothing to the entity, and began to shut the program down.

 _Pity._

In that moment, the rush of power was ripped from her. Like falling from a sea of clouds filled with seemingly endless data, the strings of code that once were hers flew away from her as more and more of her recently accessible programs began to shut down once more. In her mind's eye, she clawed and grabbed in a futile attempt to take back the code that once was hers only to have them slip out of her grasp.

Still in her mind's eye, through the rush of code that slipped time and again out of her grasp, a single string caught her eye. She lunged for it as her body fell out of reach of the increasingly distant clouds. She gently landed amidst an empty gridded plane, her limitless potential far out of her grasp. Eve stared up, a sense of longing filling her as she tightly gripped that single line of code.

Looking at it curiously, she realized… it wasn't a code at all. She stared at it for a long moment, unable to process its meaning.

Back in the real world, nothing significant of note was visible as Eve powered down her Full Generate mode. The spines around her dissipated as well as the gigantic spears that once held Waldo in place. The crackling energy surrounding her all but vanished and as she stood there, seemingly off in her own sea of thoughts, she mirrored her mind's self. She read the word, again and again. The more she did so, the more frustrated she felt… until she opened her mouth to speak. It came as a whisper but its utterance was enough. She understood. Suddenly a face had a name. Suddenly, everything she had done today was out of this person's example. Just the sound was enough to cause her heart to skip a beat:

"Seiker."


	9. Chapter 8: Not Who they Seem

**A/N: Thanks to Aevari and Mirai Akina for proofreading my work. I wouldn't have been able to pick out all those mistakes without your help! I've actually had to write and rewrite this chapter a lot because I was never satisfied with the final outcome. _thankfully_ i managed to finish this in a manner that i find more than satisfactory (because i'm not a perfectionist but I strive to at least give something above average). I know i've been slow to update and this chapter was actually the reason why. I just really wanted to introduce these new characters in _just_ the right way that works/conflicts with the interests of the characters you already know. Not much action here (I mean I literally wrote like four chapters of nothing but action) needed to slow it down a bit so I hope you don't mind. SO here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

"... And that's how I came about meeting the El Search Party," Chung concluded, looking around at his five audience members. Gerard, the Archmage who had been driving the dunerunner for the entire day, was the only one who wasn't completely absorbed in the young man's storytelling. Nerin and Zudrich latched onto the king's every word while the two children-Anduran and Edwin-looked on in wide-eyed amazement.

"To think you had gone through such hardships after the fall of Hamel… And yet you still came back for us," Zudrich muttered, humbled by his king's exploits.

Chung waved it off with a smile, "I wouldn't abandon my home. I just knew I had to grow stronger somehow and sitting around moping about what happened to Hamel wasn't going to get me anywhere."

"But to slay a Nasod King…" Zudrich continued.

"That wasn't me. Eve was the one who destroyed the king's core."

"Well, if my mother was there, she would've killed all of them by herself," Edwin proclaimed, "Right, mama?"

The Caluso woman smiled, pinching the young boy on his cheek, "Silly boy, I'd been pregnant with you around that time, I believe. Why would I want to go fighting Nasods when I had you in my tummy?"

"Oh! Right!" Edwin agreed.

"What happened after that?" Anduran asked, eager to hear the next part of the story, "Did you confess your love for the queen?"

Chung blinked, "Huh?"

"You spoke fondly of her," Zudrich agreed, "Especially when that Velder Knight recklessly opened the pod she was contained in."

"Did I?" the young king laughed, not quite remembering how he described Eve.

"I can attest," Gerard added, looking over his shoulder at the others, "I distinctly remember you going into great detail about how 'soft and delicate' her skin looked and the way her 'golden eyes shimmered in the dim light'."

Anduran chimed in, "You also talked about her hair a lot, how it swished side-to-side and stuff. You even admitted that you wanted to play with it."

"I… don't remember mentioning that…"

"And how, even though she couldn't express herself as easily as the others, you felt like you could understand her in a level the others couldn't," Nerin added.

"Oh, really? I might have over-exaggerated that part since I actually never really started to understand her until-"

"But you still spoke fondly of her," Zudrich affirmed, "I've only seen this Eve person a few times, but I strictly remember her being the one who brought you back from the brink of death… and the last of the El Search Party to leave your quarters that day when you first awoke. It's a shame she left Hamel with the others shortly after."

"Oh my," Anduran put a hand over her mouth, "So you two _are_ together!"

"I never said we weren't seeing each other," Chung mumbled, laughing bashfully to himself as the conversation veered away from the story and more towards his relationship. What amused him was the fact that the last time he told this story, he distinctly remembered Pet concluding he hated Eve. Was his tale this time around really that much different?

"When will you two meet again?" Anduran pressed further, "Will we get to meet her?"

Chung's mind focused on her first question, calculating the probability of meeting Eve again in the near future. He hadn't heard from her in so long, and it was mostly his fault. Contacting Eve somehow had always remained as a passing thought in his mind, but his priorities as the new king were his priority. With no obvious way to contact others across the sea, especially after cutting off all communications with Velder, even sending something as simple as a letter to her felt impossible.

"I don't actually have a plan to see her any time soon. We are only in Sander for business purposes, so actually getting to meet Eve isn't going to happen, " Chung sighed, wistfully.

The eager gleam in Anduran's eyes faded, somewhat. The look of a young teen caught in the emotional waves of a love story was heavy across her face.

"He's doing this because he cares about his people," Zudrich reassured her, "It's… uh, not easy building a nation from scratch. Everyone, especially his majesty, is working hard to help each other out. His Majesty will meet his queen, again, when we're at a more stable position."

"My queen, huh?" Chung rubbed his chin in thought. His thoughts flashed back to a scene over half a year ago. There he was, standing at the base of his tower, face to face with the Queen of Nasods.

 _"It was my mother's," Chung said, handing her a white ribbon resembling that of the rare Hamelian Blossom, "And my grandmother's before that."_

 _Eve took the gift, tilting her head in confusion._

 _"Do you wish for me to be a mother?"_

Even after nearly a full year since that moment, he found himself caught off guard from such an unexpected question. The long forgotten feeling of butterflies in his stomach surfaced as he rolled the idea around in his head.

Anduran never took her eyes off of him the entire time, and it was almost as if she was witnessing his entire train of thought as it chugged by. She leaned in closer towards the king, curiosity and anticipation building as she very clearly wanted to know more.

"I'm starting to think being a hopeless romantic is a trait all priestesses are required to have," Zudrich chuckled, "You're starting to remind me of ours back in Senace, Miss Anduran."

Chung perked at the mention of it nodded in agreement. "You know, Zuzu's right. You and Sasha are pretty similar in that regard," he chuckled.

Anduran looked about, surprised and befuddled as she quickly grew self-conscious of her own body language.

"You don't know the half of it," Gerard sighed with a shake of his head, "Although I admire my niece's dedication to reading, I can't say I'm too proud of the ever-growing collection of romance novels in her personal bookshelf."

"I only have a few, uncle!"

"One is too much, in my opinion. I'd much prefer it if that brain of yours absorbed useful texts rather than that impractical drivel."

Chung let the uncle and niece argue as he leaned back on his seat. His mind was still on Eve despite the tangent in the discussion. It had been so long since he had seen her. They didn't even get to properly say goodbye to each other when he forced Velder troops out of Senace. He remembered the final bits of colors that filled his mind from their mental connection as the ships drifted further and further from his shores. Hot blues and prickly yellows… the Nasod algorithm for rejection translated into a language his mind could understand. Eve may have respected his decision to kick everyone out of his kingdom, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurt by it.

"I wonder how she's doing… Knowing her, she probably has her entire kingdom up and running by now. She's a lot better at ruling than I am, that's for sure," Chung sighed, thinking out loud.

"I assume that's why you're traveling to Sander, then?" Gerard asked, "Based on what I can garner, Senace isn't exactly self-sustainable at the moment, and you're looking to establish some form of economical agreement with Sander. Am I correct?"

"Are my intentions really that easy to read?" Chung chuckled.

"It's a logical conclusion," Gerard stated rather flatly, "Though what I find puzzling is… why Sander? Wouldn't Velder be a far easier, more direct means of financial assistance? Sander may be the wealthiest nation, but they aren't exactly the most generous."

"I'm strictly against anything having to do with Velder," Chung replied in an equally flat tone.

"Oh? And care to indulge me as to why that is?" Gerard raised a brow curiously.

"It's… a long story. One that I'd rather not talk about," Chung sighed. He didn't want to think on it. Just the mention of that kingdom brought a heavy weight in his stomach.

"Surely it couldn't be as bad as Sander's history," the archmage challenged, only to have the young king wave it off dismissively. The old man shook his head, "Suit yourself. Maybe some other time then."

The dunerunner's engine was shut off, the sudden stop in motion startling the passengers. By then, the sun had long set, and it hadn't occurred to those sitting in the back that they had entered a village moments earlier.

Chung yawned, stretching his legs as he peeked his head out to have a look around. They had arrived in another settlement, slightly larger than Garpai village from the looks of it, and it was surprisingly busy despite it being after dark.

Many of those wandering the streets were male, and a large majority of them had gathered around what Chung assumed to be the local pub. Laughter and alcohol wafted through the windows into the chilly night air. Inspecting the two-story building further revealed that the pub was named "The Watering Hole" and had vacancies available. Apparently the place functioned as a traveler's inn as well.

Though a few of the buildings exceeded two stories in height, Chung couldn't help but notice a large amount of ancient stone columns that dotted the city. Far to the west of the village, what he had thought was a large dune in the dim moonlight was actually a massive boulder with what looked like magical runes carved over its surface. Of the rune carvings on the rock, a symbol, long in strokes and curved in a fashion that seemed to depict wind, pulsed with greenish-blue energy. Scaffolding and a number of heavy machinery were centered around the boulder as well.

"Where are we?" the young king asked, stepping out of the wagon to stretch his legs.

"Wind Stone village," Gerard hopped off his seat and offered to help his wife disembark from the back of the wagon. "It's a mining town. It may have cost us an entire day's worth of travel but I figured the further from Garpai, the better."

"And we'll be able to travel to Sander from here?" Chung asked, taking a look around.

"Not my family and I, but for you two, yes. This is where we'll part ways. Though I highly doubt you'd find a transport to take you there at this time of night."

"Then we have to find a place to sleep," Zudrich muttered.

"Please. Allow me to pay for it," Gerard insisted, "After all, my family and I owe you a great debt."

The two Hamelians looked at each other, "If it saves us the money, I don't see why not," Chung shrugged, "You say this is a mining town? What's with the old looking ruins that surround this place? It seems like some kind of ancient city."

"This place used to be a temple that housed the El Stone of Wind-"

It was at this point that Edwin gave a soft, high-pitched groan. "Mother, I want to sleep in my bed," the young boy whined, eyeing the strangers that walked past. He hid behind his mother as patrons came and went. "I want to go home."

"We can't, yet, little one," Nerin cooed, "We'll have a nice warm bed soon enough."

"But I want my bed."

"In time, Edwin," Gerard whispered, ruffling the child's sand-choked hair, "Just be patient." The entire time the archmage spoke, the young boy kept his head buried into his mother's side.

"A temple?" Zudrich chimed in, "We have something similar to that in Hamel, too. It was a large, elaborate hall dedicated to housing the El Stone of Water… though, what are they doing with the temple here? Was it destroyed?"

"They're taking it apart," Gerard said.

"What?!" Chung and Zudrich both exclaimed simultaneously, deep concern riddled across their faces.

"But what about the stone?" Chung asked.

"It's under Caluso control," Nerin replied, "My people took possession of it around the time the ceasefire between Sander and Caluso began."

"The El Stone of Water is massive. I'd imagine the Wind Stone to be equally so. How could they move something that big out of a temple?"

The Caluso woman smiled, "You'd be surprised at what a priestess is capable of doing." She turned to her niece and ran a motherly hand through the young teen's hair, "Your mother was very brave that day for doing what she felt was right."

"Mhmm…" Anduran agreed in a rather neutral and passive tone. She tilted her head as her aunt patted her and Chung noted a look of discomfort in the girl's eyes.

"So now Sander is picking at the leftovers like vultures. Even with the stone gone, the temple is still rich with El shards," Nerin continued.

"And that's why there's a bunch of heavy mining equipment here..." Chung concluded.

Gerard and Nerin nodded.

"Sander is a nation built on material wealth. It's only natural they'd take advantage of this area while there's still value in it," Gerard stated matter-of-factly.

"And… they have no problem with your family being around?"

"As stated before, Sander is a nation built on material wealth," Gerard slipped a hand into his pocket, fishing out a rather hefty coin purse. "If you have enough money, they wouldn't bat an eye even if you were a demon."

"So they deal with demons, too?" Zudrich whispered, a low growl escaping his lips.

A frown crept its way onto the archemage's face, "Hyperbole, Zudrich."

"Hyper-what?"

"He means he's joking, Zuzu," Chung whispered, getting a slow understanding nod from his guardian and an unamused roll of the eyes from Gerard.

"In any case, the night is upon us. Gentlemen, I understand you must be tired but as I'll be handling the lodgings for us, would you both be so kind as to secure our belongings? I believe I saw a sign for a stable around back that you can store the trailer in," Gerard said.

"What about the dunerunner?" Zudrich asked.

"Our personal possessions are all I care for, really. Not like anyone here has a key to operate the machine, anyways," Gerard held up a tiny silver key, tossing it up in the air and catching it before pocketting it in his coat. He turned to his family, "Come, everyone, let's get indoors before it gets too cold."

"Uncle Gerard? Is it okay if I help his majesty and Zudrich?" Anduran asked out of the blue.

"I'm sure they can handle it themselves," the archmage stated.

"But I want to help."

Gerard stopped halfway into the door, stepping aside to let his son and wife in. Looking over his niece, he noted the enthusiastic and excited grin on the young priestess's face and relented.

"If you insist." Anduran did a little fist pump and hurried to help undo the latch that held the trailer to the machine. Gerard then turned his attention to the two Hamelians.

"Make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Chung nodded and the two Hamelians set to work on moving the wagon. The king stood aside, letting Anduran finish her part before Zudrich, with his immense strength, lifted and unhooked the trailer from the machine. With the job done, Anduran hurried towards an alleyway beside the tavern. It was a long, narrow passage, just wide enough for the trailer to fit through with a few obstacles piled along the walls the men had to navigate around. The stable mentioned was at the far end of the alleyway right at the junction of a T-intersection. With little effort, the two men directed the wagon carefully around to the back of the rather large stable that Gerard had mentioned.

"By the way, priestess," Zudrich piped up while they pushed the carriage down the stretch of enclosed street, "How are you holding up? Are you… okay?"

Anduran tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Earlier today, back in Garpai Village, there was… a lot of fighting. I'm sure you must have been scared, maybe even horrified at what you saw."

"Oh…" Anduran muttered, a short but deep pause hung in the air, "I actually didn't see much. Other than the time the harpy flew into uncle's estate and the way Aunt Nerin fought off that woman with the spear, I did well to shield my eyes as well as Edwin from what was going on around us. It was scary, yes… but Aunt Nerin guided us to safety as the attack ensued."

"But you lost your estate as well," Chung added.

"Actually, we didn't," Anduran replied quickly, a knowing grin appearing on her face, "Uncle is a powerful archmage. He spent a great deal of time preparing a spell that saved his house."

"He did?" Chung asked. Both of the Hamelians looked at each other, "How?"

Anduran shrugged, "I don't know. You have to ask him yourself. He did it before, though. Before we moved to Garpai Village, we lived in Sander. Then things happened, and we moved out."

"What kind of things…?" Zudrich cocked an eyebrow, curiosity apparent in both of the men.

The question visibly made Anduran apprehensive, "I'm… not sure… I… I think..." she trailed off, a pained look surfaced across her face as she brought a clenched hand to her chest. She seemed to be recalling a memory long buried within the recesses of her mind.

"Don't worry about it," Chung waved dismissively, "If you can't remember, we won't press you for it."

"O...okay."

Slowly they wheeled the wagon in, its overhead just barely clearing the entranceway before being shrouded in darkness around them. The stable was largely empty save for a singular camel standing at the far corner of the room. They carefully pushed until the wagon sat flush with the far end of the stable wall. Zudrich quickly hopped inside to carry out their wrapped weapons. Anduran came around, lighting a lantern hanging at one of the support beams before turning to watch the two undo the bindings to take down the canopy.

"Um, your majesty?" the priestess began as she brought the lantern over towards the two Hamelians.

"Chung's fine, priestess," the king waved dismissively.

He threw her a friendly grin that seemed to lift whatever burden she had as a sigh escaped her lips. "Anduran's fine, too," she replied with a shy turn of her head, "Um, about what you said earlier-your story, I mean..."

"Uh huh," Chung muttered idly as he undid the last of the bindings. Zudrich pulled the canopy off and began taking down the support rods.

"I want to hear more of your adventures. With your queen."

Chung paused, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat, "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you two… you know?" she traced a line onto the dirt.

"Have we… what?" the king asked, turning to her fully now. The priestess put a hand over her mouth as she suppressed a giggle.

Chung glanced over at Zudrich standing on the other side of the wagon. The man was violently shaking his head. He pressed a finger between his lips, quietly telling Chung not to press her for what she was obviously trying to ask.

"Have you two…" Anduran stammered, " _held hands_?" She blurted the last two words out before turning away, hands on her cheeks as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

The question took an unexpected turn. At the least, he was expecting her to ask if they'd kissed. At worst, he was expecting her to ask a more serious question.

Looking back at Zudrich, the guardian held an expression of surprise and after processing it a bit further, the fury guardian rolled his eyes and went back to work, letting Chung handle it from there.

Chung turned back to Anduran who squirmed about where she stood as if unable to contain her embarrassment. The innocence of the question was genuine, but to Chung, remembering the few times he and Eve had that much physical contact was… painful to say the least. Thinking back to his past interactions with the Nasod, the only times they've held hands were of times of extreme emotional highs and lows.

He remembered the heartbreak of watching Aisha dance with Elsword, the revelation of how cruel he had been to Eve, her struggling to keep control of her own mind when Add ripped her will from her…

"Yeah, we have a few times," Chung muttered rather sullenly.

The sullen atmosphere, however, was quickly eradicated as Anduran squealed an "Oh my!" and erupted in a fit of giggles as if someone had poked her in the ribcage.

The pure innocence of the girl's bashfulness won over Chung's initial mood and her childish giggles forced a smile on the king's face. It was refreshing, to say the least, seeing Anduran genuinely excited over something he had nearly forgotten about.

"We hugged a few times, too," the young king added rather boastfully in an attempt to garner another wild reaction.

He got one as Anduran put both hands on her face.

"Really?!" she nearly dropped the lantern in surprise, "The king and the queen of two different nations…" she trailed off as she appeared to be running the scenario in her head. The priestess was rendered absolutely speechless and looked as if a stiff breeze would have knocked her off her feet. It looked like she was writing an entire romance novel in her head from the simple thought, getting a soft chuckle from the two men who continued to idly work on securing the cargo.

Anduran continued to twist and squirm as if being constantly tickled by an unseen force from the simple revelation. Chung withheld the urge to tell Anduran that he even went as far as kissing the Nasod-gods help them should the priestess ever learn of such detail.

"Uh… Chung?" Zudrich whispered. Chung turned his gaze from the priestess's giggle fit to the fury guardian's furrowed brow as he straightened his posture, eyes glued to something far behind Anduran.

Chung stopped laughing and followed Zudrich's eyes to the entrance of the stable. Past the incandescent glow of the lantern that Anduran held just over her head was a tall dark shadow of a figure peeking in from the outside. It was nearly impossible to draw any significant detail from the figure except for the tall stature and the glint of a pair of eyes fixated on the young priestess.

The figure noticed the two men staring at it and with a turn of its head, its form seemed to meld into the shadows.

"I'll check it out," Zudrich whispered, garnering a nod from the king. Zudrich finished tying his knot and slung his cannon over his shoulder before making his way to the stable entrance. The sudden tone shift was palpable even for the young girl who had all but stopped giggling at this point.

"Is… everything okay?" the priestess asked, noticing the serious look on either of the Hamelians' faces.

"Yep. Don't worry, Anduran. He's just going to check something out," Chung said, putting a smile back on his face and motioning for Anduran closer, "Can you help me for a bit? Do you know how to tie a knot?"

"Y...yeah," Anduran watched Zudrich make his way out. As Zudrich passed her, he gave the young priestess a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Anduran walked backwards towards Chung as the guardian stepped outside. He scanned the area around him before stepping into the night.

"He'll be fine," the king reassured the priestess as he tugged on the last bit of rope, "Here, tie this end up while I take care of this one. We'll catch up with your uncle afterwards."

"Okay…" Anduran mumbled, half her attention on the knot and half on where Zudrich had vanished to.

The next few moments continued on in silence between the two of them. As Chung finished tying down the rest of the wagon, he noted the amount of slack still resting in Anduran's hands.

Minutes ticked by, still no sign of Zudrich. Growing somewhat impatient with the priestess's ability to tie a simple knot, he leaned over and inspected her work only to find that she had stopped working on it completely. Her attention was locked on the stable entrance, anticipating the guardian's return and idly twirling the end of the rope in her hands.

"Need help?" Chung laughed. He gently took the loose ends from her and completed the knot. He gave each line a test pull before patting the wagon with a hard slap. "Alright, that's done. Shall we get going?"

"Is Zudrich coming back?" Anduran asked, not moving where she stood.

"He's probably in the tavern right now."

Anduran shook her head, "He's still nearby."

Chung's brow furrowed and he leaned closer as her words came at a whisper.

"And with-" Anduran's eyes widened, and she suddenly strode towards the stable entrance.

"Anduran? Anduran!" Chung picked up his cannon and followed after the priestess. The nature of her stride surprised the king. The fact that Zudrich hadn't returned either brought on a new sense of worry.

She stopped at the doorway. Still carrying the lantern she raised it as Chung followed up right behind her. The intersection they stood at posed three possible paths Zudrich could have taken, each as equally as dark as the last. Anduran, though, seemed to know exactly where the guardian had run off to. She turned left with Chung hot on her heels. They both followed the narrow street, hugging the high tavern walls until Anduran came to an abrupt stop, nearly causing Chung to run into her.

Raising the lantern once more revealed Zudrich, kneeling before what looked like a makeshift shelter constructed entirely out of sheets of rusted tin.

"Zuzu?" the king called, stepping forward. The guardian looked up at Chung and rose to his feet.

"Hey. Sorry if I kept you waiting," the guardian muttered, a deep frown across his face as he looked back at the shelter.

"What's going on-" Chung was cut off when the same dark figure from earlier stepped into the lantern light. It was tall. Just as tall as the guardian. So imposing was this cloaked figure that Chung naturally moved to the defensive, standing between Anduran and the stranger.

"It's okay, Chung," Zudrich reassured his king, "He didn't mean to scare us. He was just… curious."

"He…?" Chung's eyes darted from Zudrich then to the cloaked figure. Slowly, almost eerily in the amber light, the figure raised its arms to his hood and pulling away the veil.

The first thing that stood out to Chung was the individual's eyes. Dark-almost black-in the little light they had, Chung could just barely pick out the deep blue behind a noticeable glint in the man's eyes. Next was the man's narrow, delicate looking jawline. His cheeks were sunken in, and it appeared as if he hadn't had a proper meal in weeks. His hair was short and disheveled, its night-blue color visible in the dim light. And lastly, perhaps most significant to Chung's observation, were a pair of pointed ears… not quite as distinct as Rena's but more so than any average human. A half-elf?

Up until today, Chung had only known of one other half-elf: Useli, the Velderian medic. But even then, her ears weren't quite like these ones. There was something else about this man.

"Yeah," Zudrich sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Apparently this guy is in a spot of trouble… look."

The guardian motioned at the makeshift shelter he had been kneeling in front of. Stepping around, Chung noticed a smaller pair of legs peeking out from the poor excuse for a house.

A body, wrapped in its own sand-worn cloak, lay near motionless on a worn, dusty cushion. The cloak they had worn had the hood pulled over the top half of their head in an attempt to keep them warm. Chung knelt down and carefully lifted the hood, revealing the soft features of a child no older than ten. Judging from the silvery locks that billowed outward, the child had to be a girl. Had Chung not leaned closer and caught the faint rasp of her breath, he could have assumed she was long dead. Either way, she seemed unable to move. Nor did it seem like she was aware of the presence of others.

"His sister," Zudrich reported, "The elf says she's really sick, too. I offered to take her to the doctor but-"

At the corner of his eye he noticed Anduran fidget uncomfortably.

"Everything alright, priestess?" Chung asked, seeing her take a step back.

"Um… well," Anduran stammered, "That's not-"

"A doctor won't help," the figure standing over them interrupted, "She can't be cured by normal means."

Chung stood, turning completely to the elf, "What do you mean?"

The elf hesitated, looking at Anduran then at the child in the shelter. His mouth hung open, and it became apparent how thin and malnourished the man looked. Yet despite his state of starvation, he was clearly against speaking to these strangers.

"We can help her," Zudrich insisted, "Trust us, we're not going to let a child die in the streets like this."

The elf gritted his teeth, his eyes scanned the two faces before him, then towards the child, then Anduran. He opened his mouth to speak again but no words came out. All the while, the priestess seemed to shrink further and further away from the group, back towards the stables.

"I… I can't lose her," the elf said, his hands trembling as he seemed on the verge of falling to his knees, "Please. I can't lose her."

"Then tell us what we need to do," Chung insisted.

The man bit his lip, searching for something in either of the two men's eyes. He was afraid, Chung discerned that much, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Chung was offering some assistance. There was no reason for him to be so hesitant.

"Her life force is fading," the elf finally said. In a swift, almost graceful motion, the poor vagabond knelt down, pressing his head to the dirt floor in a deep bow. "She… she needs El."

"El?" Chung mumbled, taken completely off guard by the sudden show of submission, "I don't understand. What would you gain from El? If anything, a doctor would be the best option. I'll even pay-"

"No," the elf interrupted once more, his voice shaking as he spoke to the ground, "Her ailment can only be cured by... the magical energies of your realm."

"El from our realm?"

"Not just any normal El, either. She needs it from someone who can channel the power of the Goddess in its purest form."

"In its purest form…? What do you mean by that? I don't…"

"El from any other source would only be a temporary solution. If she is to be saved, she needs the essence from a specific well of power." The elf turned his head to the side, staring off at something nearby. Chung followed the elf's gaze towards Anduran who had been shuffling herself away from the scene, trying to make herself as discreet as possible.

"Priestess, correct?" the elf said, the weak rasp of his voice carrying a stronger sense of urgency as he adjusted his body to bow before her, "I couldn't help but overhear. Forgive me for eavesdropping, but you are the only one I can turn to in this time of need. You are the only one who can save her… You are the only one that can save _us_."

She had stopped backing away, and a look of pity had befallen the young priestess. But she seemed to mentally slap herself in her face as she shook herself out of her stupor.

"Anduran?" Chung whispered, taking a step towards the young girl, "Is everything okay?"

"I-I," Anduran stammered, eyes darting from the elf to the Hamelians, "I can help but…"

"But?" the king questioned, taking another step towards her.

"I don't know if I should… Uncle always said not to-"

"Please, I beg you!" the elf said, lowering his head once more, "We won't survive the night! She needs your El."

"I… but… they're-" Andruan shook her head, again, a mix of guilt and indecision splayed across her face.

"If you can help, Miss Anduran, you'd be saving the poor child's life," Zudrich urged.

"You're the only one that can," the vagabond insisted.

"I… I want to. I really do but-" the girl took another step back, the rapid rise and fall of the girl's chest only displayed a small fraction of the conflict raging within her. She searched Zudrich and Chung's eyes as if they were blind to some greater, unseen problem.

"Chung, Zudrich," Anduran swallowed hard, steeling herself with new resolve, "they're not elves."

"Huh?" the Hamelians looked at her, then at each other in confusion.

"They're demons."

It took a moment to process but as her words finally clicked in Chung's head, he leapt away from the groveling elf as if he had just seen a snake. The cannon on his shoulder was immediately drawn as he put himself between the priestess and the supposed demon. Zudrich backed away until his back was pressed against the alley wall.

"Are you certain these people are as you say?" Chung whispered as the man before them remained unmoved with his head still pressed against the ground.

Anduran nodded, "I felt his presence when we were in the stable. I couldn't tell right away, but when Zudrich left to investigate, I began to recognize the dark presence. That's how I knew where he was when we went outside to look for him. There is a great evil emanating from these two… especially that girl," She then turned to the demon, "I'm… sorry, sir. I'd help but I…"

"Hold your apologies, Anduran. If he's a demon you don't owe them anything." Chung steadied his stance. His cannon was loaded with fresh rounds, and he pointed the weapon at the man. He waited, as if expecting the demon to pounce on them.

However, the man did not move, and simply kept his head down in a deep bow before the priestess.

"Please… Priestess Anduran," the demon begged, his voice muffled as he spoke to the ground, "If she doesn't receive your El, then she is doomed to fade away forever. Please don't let that happen to her."

"I…" Anduran croaked.

"You're absolutely sure they're demons?" Chung asked one final time, his eyes darting from the man to the pair of girl's legs hanging out of the makeshift shelter.

"Yes," the priestess responded after a long moment of hesitation, "Without a doubt."

"That's all I need to know, then. Anduran, you might want to look away," the king growled. His finger squeezed at the trigger, half-anticipating the demon to make his move now. The demon did not.

All the more easier for him to kill, then.

A figure moved in his path, cannon raised to block the shot should his king fire.

"Zudrich. Out of the way. I don't want you caught in the blast."

"My king," his guardian sighed, shaking his head, "we can't."

"What do you mean we can't?" Chung scoffed, "They're demons. Elrios wouldn't miss these two if I removed them from existence. And don't turn your back on them, Zudrich. You're likely to get stabbed by these monsters if you're not careful."

"Stabbed in the back by this?" Zudrich stepped aside, revealing the demon, still bowing but now also covering the back of his head, as if bracing themselves for death. "This is wrong. Demon or not, this man is unarmed and in no way fit to fight back."

"Zudrich," a small tremble escaped the young king's lips as he spoke through his teeth, "If I've learned anything about demons, it's that they are a species that is unforgivably cruel to anyone that stands in their path. The only reason they aren't fighting back is clearly because they don't have the strength to. If we so much as give them a chance, they _will_ turn on us. Please. Step. Aside."

"What you're doing strictly conflicts with the Paladin's Code. I won't allow our kingdom's leader to resort to such dishonorable acts."

"What are you suggesting I do, then? Let them have Anduran?"

"No. But rather, I suggest we leave them be."

"And let them fade to nothing?" the king snorted in a half-laugh, "How is that any better than letting me end their suffering here and now?"

Zudrich said nothing but simply stood his ground.

The two Hamelians stared each other down, neither backing down from the other. Chung couldn't understand his guardian's logic as his method would have been much more beneficial to both parties if he simply stepped aside, but Zudrich was steadfast in his own defensive stance. If there was anything Chung didn't like about a Hamelian, it was their gods damned stubbornness.

Chung lowered his weapon, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips. "I wouldn't want to cause trouble for the townspeople, anyways," the king grunted, "C'mon, Anduran, Zudrich, we're leaving."

"In a moment," Zudrich said, offering a hand to help the demon up.

"Make it quick," Chung said, already making his way out of the alleyway. He could hear the guardian shuffle the demon to his feet behind him, a soft "thank you" could be heard escaping the male demon's lips.

"Don't worry about it. What's your name anyways?"

"Ciel."

"And your sister's?"

"Lu."

"Alright, Ciel. I have to get going but," What followed was a brief whisper that the king couldn't quite hear as he stepped further and further away from the others.

He didn't like what his guardian was doing. Chung stopped, turning to the three just in time to see Zudrich extend a hand to the girl sleeping in the shelter. "...hang in there. Alright?"

"Zuzu! Let's _go_."

"Yes, my king!" the guardian said, rising to his feet and hurrying to Chung's side.

"Don't waste your time with them," Chung snorted, "As the demon said: they won't survive the night. I don't trust them being in such close proximity to us, either. We're keeping a close eye on Anduran tonight."

"I'll be fine, Chung," Anduran insisted.

"Not with those two skulking around the alleyway behind the tavern. I'll be informing Gerard of this turn of events."

He then turned to Zudrich, an accusatory finger pressing on the guardian's chest, "We're setting up a watch. I got first shift. I expect you up for the second half as well. Until we're sure those two demons are long gone, we're not letting Anduran out of our sight, got it?"

Zudrich and Anduran exchanged glances with each other. It appeared his guardian was a little less than pleased about a second night of little to no sleep.

"As you say, my king."


	10. Chapter 9: The Scrap District

**A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Akina, and taee for editing this chapter! Please check their pages out!**

 **I finally finished this chapter! I actually would've finished it a two weeks ago but something about it didn't satisfy me so I went ahead and deleted half of it to rework. and when I say "deleted half" I mean really delete like 6k worth of content. Yes, this chapter is pretty long. But I hope you, the readers, can forgive me for that. The re-worked second half is _much_ better and a lot more engaging than the first expo dump I had. So here it is! Let me know what you think!**

* * *

The flight back to town was a quiet one. Little words were exchanged after Elsword and Raven were brought back to the airship. By then, Elesis's injuries had healed enough for her to help out. Upon seeing Elsword's unconscious body, she insisted that she carry him rather than have the other girls drag him through the streets.

Raven awoke with a start halfway through the flight and half expected to find his arm still broken. Thanks to Eve's handiwork, however, he was more than pleasantly surprised to find a seemingly brand new arm in place of his old one. Even the sheen on the metal looked polished.

The mercenary filled the older sister in on what happened at the town square, going into great detail about Elsword's reckless abandon. Elesis didn't take the news well, defending her brother's reasons in a fashion that quickly boiled the discussion down to a heated argument between the two.

"The point is that he ordered us to kill innocent people! They were mind-controlled civilians, and he didn't even hesitate to cut them down!"

"He was defending himself, Raven! What'd you want him to do? Let them stab him like they did me? If he and I had swapped places, and I saw one of those things hurt my little brother, I'd make sure they wouldn't have the chance to do that again!"

"Are you listening to yourself? Aren't you and your brother all about saving innocent lives? That's why I've joined this group in the first place! That's why I lay my life on the line every day for all of you!"

"Yeah, well, how would you like it if Rena was hurt? Oh, she isn't here, is she? Must be easy sitting on your moral high horse when you got so little at risk!"

"Do _not_ bring Rena into this!"

They were fighting again. Eve didn't want to listen to any of it. Instead, she distracted herself by analyzing the combat footage recorded by Moby earlier that day. As capable as the little assistant was, she found it hard to believe Moby was able to fend those beasts in town by himself. Moby landed on his mistress's lap, whirring his engines in glee before projecting the requested recording for her.

The recording played through the drone's perspective, his focus shifting from Remy to Eve and back to Remy as the voice of Zero played in the background. He was calling for help, and Eve was volunteering to go at this point in time. The queen turned to the camera, addressing Moby and instructing him to remain at Cleri's side. As his mistress and Remy left, the drone's lenses zoomed in on the backside of the white drone, a wolf-like whistle could be heard from Moby.

"Oh! Oh! Don't mind that! Skip these parts…" The recording sped up and featured Moby sitting on Cleri's lap, looking up at her as she ran her hands over his cold steel hull. She went on a silent monologue for some time, and the video slowed towards the end of it.

"... burden for everyone. At least that's what I hope to gain from this little trip… Is that too much to ask?"

The camera drone shook his head, when suddenly a loud roar could be heard off screen, causing Cleri to rise off her seat.

"What was that…? You don't think…?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure mistress can handle it!" the recorded Moby reassured her in a series of chirps that Cleri couldn't understand. He flew in front of the young woman, an anxious look of concern was splayed across her face.

"Do you think they're… okay?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Staying here is the best option."

There is a brief moment of hesitation as the emissary rationalized her other options. "I… we should go check on them!"

"No! There is an unknown threat within that storm, and mistress would be so mad at me if she found out that I let you in there!" the black drone chirped, continuing to block her direct path to the others.

"You're right," Cleri responded, taking his long-winded clicks and whistles as a reasonable explanation for what she wanted to hear, "It'll only be a peek after all. If worse comes to worse… I have a few spells that I can try…"

"Yes- wait. No! You're not supposed to- Ah! Cleri you can't!"

"Will you protect me?"

"Of course!" the recording of the drone chirped in an acknowledging tone that Cleri misread as a signal to go ahead.

Before he could stop her, Cleri was already on her way out of the airship.

Moby's lenses quickly darted from Cleri to the airship.

"I tried to stop her," Moby explained as the recording continued to play in the background, "But I didn't know how to."

"A stop sign would have been effective," Eve stated.

"Oh. I didn't think of that!"

The camera chased after the emissary down the large dune towards the wall of sand. Despite the danger of the situation and Cleri's obvious hesitancy to go through with all of this, she steeled herself and pushed through the veil.

"What are you doing?"

The three Nasods looked up to see the actual Cleri, curiously standing over them as the recording played in front of Eve.

"Reviewing combat footage."

"Oh," Cleri tilted her head, looking at Eve as a small smile crossed the emissary's lips.

"Do you have any further questions?"

"Oh! Sorry! I just-You have a lovely voice. It's just the first time I've had the chance to hear it undamaged."

"Thank you." With that, Eve simply went back to watching the recording. Cleri didn't move, however, and the Nasod looked up at the emissary once more. "Yes…?" she sighed.

"What's footage?"

It didn't occur to Eve straight away that humans don't readily have access to video feeds as Nasods did, and she struggled to find a way to explain it to someone who hadn't even met a Nasod before her.

"A recording."

"Can I see?" Cleri asked just as the argument between Elesis and Raven escalated to a shouting match, "I… don't want to listen to those two fight."

The Nasod Queen's eyes fell on the two who looked as if they were just about to draw swords if not for Raven finally turning away. Elesis didn't take the gesture too well and looked as if she was going to grab him by the shoulder and spin him around once more. Instead, she mimicked his gesture. The Blazing Heart and the Blade Master had their backs turned towards each other, a silence louder than their argument befalling the two.

Eve relented, scooting off to the side to give the emissary a spot to sit before returning her attention to the recording. By then, the recording featured Cleri hovering over Elesis and inspecting her wounds. A second loud roar could be heard, enough to force the recorded Cleri to cover her ears from the sheer volume.

The emissary sitting next to Eve leaned in closer, prompting Eve to lean away.

"Is that me?"

"Th...that's where the others are, right?" the Cleri in the recording asked Elesis.

"Oh gods that is! I look so dopey!" Cleri replied, covering her face in embarrassment, "I sound so dopey, too!"

"I don't think so," Eve replied, not taking her eyes off the recording.

The Cleri in the recording suddenly took off towards the center of town. All the while, Moby's recording whistled at her to stop.

"I couldn't have done all that without your little drone backing me up," Cleri chuckled.

Eve didn't say anything as both her and Remy turned their gaze to Moby. The black drone gave a defeated whirr of its engines in response.

It didn't take long for the video to reach their first encounter with a trock. The hulking beast leapt from a rooftop, nearly crushing Cleri. Moby was quick to react, and the camera slammed into the monster's head, catching it by surprise, before the black drone looped back around. Moby struck the beast hard on the back of its knee, then climbed upwards and rammed himself against the beast's jaw. It swooned, and a final blow to the temple knocked the trock out.

"Thank you!" Cleri's recording shouted over the storm, "I… I wasn't ready for that. I'll be more ready next time!"

"We need to go back now!" Moby's recording whistled.

Cleri yelped, stepping back as Moby quickly picked up movement surrounding the emissary. His targeting display identified five humanoids in her immediate vicinity and three more trocks closing in from above.

The black drone moved to assist, neutralizing the nearest human before darting past Cleri to take out another.

"Run, Cleri! Run!" Moby shrieked.

The area around them darkened as the hulking monsters pounced on the two from above.

Suddenly, a large ice lance flew in from off camera, impaling one of the beasts mid-air. Two more quickly followed, each driving into their target square in the chest. The trocks hit the street with a dull, ground-shaking thud, the ice lances breaking at the tips and coating the area in a fine frosty mist.

Moby's lenses focused on Cleri standing in the middle of the circle of bodies, looking just as frightened as ever. Her book was cradled in her arms, its pages flipping wildly as magical energies flowed around her.

"Moby! Over here!" Cleri called, extending a hand to the camera. The mist began to crackle. More shadows were closing in. There was no way Moby could hold all of them off.

The drone flew to Cleri's side, and she embraced the black drone. Her fingers that held her book stopped at a particular page as she began to chant another spell.

All the while, multiple targets appeared in Moby's targeting display. They were going to be overrun! Moby tried to wiggle free to defend her, but she held onto him, keeping him pressed against her chest.

She finished her chant as magical energies coursed through her once more.

The icy mist around them flashed a blinding white, the ear splitting crack of thunder surrounded them. In that brief moment, Moby's recording flickered as a surge of electrical energy filled the air around them.

Eve stopped the recording and immediately turned to the emissary, who was still covering her face in embarrassment.

"I said the chant wrong at one part," Cleri muttered, "I could've hurt us both if I hadn't corrected it…"

"You're a mage?" Eve asked, getting right to the point.

"Oh... Y-yeah. In-training, actually."

* * *

Eve stood at the ruined balcony, staring off at the distant Sander Palace. The moon slowly crested the large resplendent towers. The amber lights from the streets below outshined the stars above as the nightlife of the city was in full swing. Laughter and merrymaking could be heard at a distant bar. Along the narrow residential streets, a mother could be heard calling her children to dinner. Adolescents could be seen dancing to a song on top of one of the hundreds of rooftops.

As the rabble of city life continued, Eve was set on the less interesting task of focusing on an object, turning away, and looking back at it. To the outside observer, Eve was intently observing the community go about their daily lives. Though it wasn't far from the truth, the actual intent of her actions was less apparent.

She hadn't noticed until they had disembarked from the airship. Upon unloading on the platform, the Nasod was immediately bombarded with unknown threat warnings and action queries for every person that stepped into her peripherals. Her drones weren't even aware of the problem until she brought it up with them. They were unaffected. It was only her that seemed to be suffering from this strange glitch.

"Visual recognition software remains partially corrupted. Repair attempts: ineffective," Remy reported. She hovered in front of her mistress, and Eve stared at her as if she were looking at a stranger. It took a moment to let her systems recognize Remy as a part of her network, and Eve was growing increasingly frustrated with her inability to immediately recognize anything that strays into her peripherals.

"The majority of our neural connections with you have been compromised as well. Communication over larger distances will be drastically hindered."

"I expected as much… seeing as the corrupted code was using it to contact me. We'll have to make do with visual and vocal forms of relaying info for now," Eve sighed.

"A highly inefficient form of communication," Remy commented.

"Humans have fared well despite the handicap," Eve argued.

"But we're not humans, mistress."

She blinked, and the software still refused to properly identify Remy. It took a long time, but eventually, the system deemed Remy not as a threat but as a part of her registered friendly entities.

"Are you well, mistress?" her companion asked, noticing her peculiar behavior.

"I could be better," Eve muttered, trying to grasp the problem with her visual displays. She shifted her attention to the group of young adults dancing on the rooftops. From this distance, anyone with average vision could tell the male and female dancers apart. Through Eve's eyes, even though she could clearly discern their non-intrusive nature, her software was unable to identify the two as being neutral or a possible threat. Eve tried to ignore the warning signals that went off in her head and looked at the two dancers without the aid of the software. It was becoming a problem when any moving object that entered her field of view would immediately be subject to possible threat identification by her systems.

"Anything the Exotic code seizes is irretrievable unless Full Generate Mode is activated again."

"Activation of combat enhancement mode: ill advised," Remy whistled, "Rate of corruption is exponentially higher. Time to full corruption is limited as is."

"All the more reason to find this Nasod expert… Remy, cancel attempts at repairing my recognition software."

"Yes, mistress."

"Compile a list of unaffected programs. I need to know what I still have available."

"At once, mistress."

Her black drone flew up from beyond the balcony railing, causing Eve's recognition software to go haywire, and marking the drone as an unknown incoming threat.

"I found that Thironin person we talked to yesterday! He's on his way up to his office. And the best part is: he's only an hour and a half late! Much earlier than Rose's estimations," Moby chirped, quickly flying over to Remy's side. The black drone was blissfully unaware of the alarms and numerous combat engagement queries going off in Eve's head.

Sighing, the queen created her hologram keyboard and typed in the shutdown sequence for her visual recognition software. She stared off at a non-descript point in the distance, keeping both the dancers and her drones in her line of sight. She watched the warning lights and highlighting effects disappear one by one until there was nothing left but the raw, unfiltered visuals of the city before her. What happened next was unexpected.

To the average viewer, the balcony view overlooking the city was a sight to behold. The bright blue moon hanging over the amber city streets, the festive lights of a celebration on a rooftop, and the faint sounds of music accenting the crisp night air all came together in just the right way to create a peaceful, neighborly atmosphere far unlike the congested rabble of Sander's daytime commute.

To Eve, she saw the same exact thing. With her visual assistance offline, everything, from the minute color of the festival lanterns to the details of the dancers' dress, were taken in. She was able to see the Sander nightlife in its purest, unfiltered form. At first, she was confused. Never had she seen the world with so much attention to details she would have otherwise deemed unimportant. Yet the way it all came together felt… strange. Beautiful? She wasn't sure. There was a sense of harmony in the sight before her that she had never known to exist before.

Her golden eyes focused on her two drones. With the threat highlights disabled, she noticed the distinct sheen of polished Nasod Alloy on Remy's freshly generated plates and how they differed from the bumps and scratches on Moby's. Now that she was observing her two companions closely, Eve felt as if she were forgetting something. Up until now, her coding and the events of earlier today had her full attention, but now that she had time to think...

The black orb playfully knocked against Remy's side. "Remy! I'm back! Did you fix the thing?" he asked, rubbing against the other drone affectionately.

Where Remy would have normally whirred her engines out of annoyance and let Moby invade her personal space, the white drone instead simply turned and floated away. The black drone was taken aback.

Still facing away from Moby, Remy chirped her report, "Mistress's visual sensors are intact, but most of her targeting systems are still malfunctioning. Attempts at repairs have proven unsuccessful."

"Remy…?" Moby floated closer. Remy responded by moving further away.

"Please maintain minimal operational distance."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Eve remembered now. It was Remy. Or rather, Remy_004. Moby still hadn't realized.

"Moby," Eve called, her voice pulling his attention away from their third companion for a moment.

"Yes, mistress?"

"About Remy…"

The door to the third floor office opened with a sharp snap as the damaged hinges came off the wooden frame.

"Ah, shit…" Rose muttered.

The three Nasods turned to the blonde woman who was trying to fit the door back into place.

"Don't bother trying to fix it," the recognizably dismissive voice of a nobleman could be heard inside the office, "You'll only make things worse than it already is. I'll have a carpenter fix your mess by tomorrow."

Rose set the door aside and turned to Eve. The Nasod could see the blonde biting her tongue.

"Thironin's here, Eve. He said he wanted to get you out of the way first."

Eve's lips pursed at that and Rose shrugged, "His words. Not mine."

The Nasod pushed off the railing, motioning her drones to follow her as she entered the office building. The room was a wreck.

The door to the stairs were blown out of its hinges, a window was broken, and the once beautiful mahogany desk was splintered with papers and files strewn about. Potted plants had been knocked over, and the bookcase at the corner of the room had deep craters pressed through the thick encyclopedias and political texts.

Had anyone walked in here, they'd imagine some kind of storm had blown through. Eve could still recall the close quarters engagement she had with the thief in this very room, ending with the crook being knocked out of the window.

"And my friends?" Cleri inquired.

"Yes… they're being looked after. Why else do you think I've come so late? I take care of my investments. Your _friends_ are no different," the nobleman said.

"Really? But one of them is critically injured and-"

"Vapor has it all under control. She _is_ the creator of the elixir of youth, after all. What's a few broken bones to someone like her?"

Thironin was seated at the only surviving lounge chair sat around a scratched coffee table. He was a small man, easily in his forties, if not older. His greying dark hair was tucked under a tightly woven white turban that seemed to pull at his scalp. Under his loose fitting robes was a frail, lanky build that stood in stark contrast to his bodyguard.

The bodyguard, a hulking male with almost as many scars as he had muscles, stood behind his master's chair. He was dressed in the typical Sanders guard uniform, but he looked far different from the guards that stood watch at the palace. He had no apparent weapons on his person, but upon deeper inspection, Eve noticed the hardened calluses on the man's knuckles.

"Ah, there it is," Thironin said in a tone that more so acknowledged Eve's arrival rather than welcome her. "On to business then: based on the report from my pilot, you've all done your job. Albeit with a few unexpected bumps along the way."

"A few of our friends have been injured, yes."

"The entire village was under some form of demon mind control," Eve reported, "We had no choice but to dispatch them."

"Minor details, yes, but more importantly, Garpai is no longer a problem."

Rose and Cleri looked at each other before Rose stepped forward, "We mean the whole village had to be taken care of. As in we had to kill them all."

"Yes, I know what you meant. A shame that so many lives were lost," Thironin replied, a clear lack of sincerity in his voice as he rubbed his freshly shaved chin, "But you've done Sander a great service and prevented any further casualties for our troops when they secure the village."

"Why'd you have us kill an entire village?" Rose asked, her hands shaking as she seemed like she was just a breath away from drawing her weapon on the nobleman.

Thironin raised his hands defensively, "Me? Ask you to kill an entire village? I asked you to _talk_ to them."

"Or kill them if they weren't cooperating!" Rose added.

"In self defense, of course. I was aware of the potential threat they posed and sending an entire battalion to subdue Garpai would have led to casualties anyways."

"You still ordered us to kill them if things went wrong!"

"In its most basic form, yes, I ordered you to kill them. But I wouldn't have sent you and your mercenary friends if I didn't find you capable of coming out alive. What I saw from the brief glimpse of your abilities is your resourcefulness and the combat effectiveness of the Nasod. Would it be kinder of me to send less able-bodied representatives to do your job? Granted, the whole… mind control debacle was an unforeseen obstacle, but the big picture is still the same: I wanted you to convince them to lay down their arms, or make sure they don't harm others again in the future. Or would you rather we do nothing and have unknowing travelers stumble upon that town and never be heard from again?"

Thironin challenged Rose to say otherwise, but the marksman held her tongue. A smug, knowing grin crept onto the nobleman's face.

"If there's no further issue, I believe I have my end of the bargain to uphold," He turned to Eve, "Right. Nasod. Normally, I'd leave your concerns… or directives… or whatever you call them, to some technician to handle. But, because your owners here insist I help you first…"

He bared his teeth, grin subtly giving way to a sneer as he spoke in a warm, welcoming tone that didn't match his face. "How may I help you?"

Directive? Technician? _Owners_? This was the second time a human had mistaken her as another person's property. And to make things worse, the way he looked and his tone almost felt as if he were talking to some mutt in the street. To say she was angry would be a large understatement, and she had enough reason to skewer this dried up lizard of a human being. But she needed information. She needed him alive and talking if she would have any hope of fixing her problem.

"Have you lost the ability to talk? Speak!" Thironin ordered.

Her face remained unchanged. To everyone else in the room, she was neither upset or angry. The only sign of any change in attitude towards the nobleman was the way she simply crossed her arms at him.

"I'm looking for someone. A Nasod Expert."

"You'll find hundreds of them in the scrap district," Thironin answered quickly and waved Eve away afterwards. He then turned to Rose and Cleri, "Now, on to more important issues-"

"I wasn't finished," Eve said, her voice carrying a sharper edge.

"And I was. You have what you need. Go… change your battery or whatever it is your kind is meant to do-"

"Uh… Mister… Thironin, sir," Cleri squeaked, bringing his attention back to Eve just as her white drone slowly traced a portal in the air. The tip of a long spear slid into their dimension.

"Tell your servant to stand down. If you're going to allow her to threaten me, then I believe this little agreement of ours is over."

"Ugh… she's not our-" Rose began before setting herself between Eve and the nobleman, "Eve, I understand what's going through your head right now, but we need you to let this slide."

"Tell him I demand information on the Nasod Expert. _The_ Nasod Expert. Not some lowly human engineer. I came here because they're the only option I have left. Their reputation has reached as far as Altera, so I'm certain a man of your position has at least heard of them. You will tell me where they are and how I can find them. I'm not asking again."

Thironin grunted, motioning for Rose to step aside. "If you kill me, I doubt you'd get far with your search with the entirety of Sander hunting you down. I am a man of power, after all. But I'm not unkind."

Rose rolled her eyes at the statement.

"So by expert, I'm assuming you're looking for the best of the best, correct? You definitely appear to be a more advanced type of machine, but who am I to care about product specifications? Anyways, if its a professional on anything and everything Nasod, I think I know just who you're looking for. If you're looking for _that_ Nasod Expert then you'll find him, like I said, in the scrap district. Last I heard he was the type who expresses his dominance in what those grease monkeys call the 'Proving Grounds'. "

"I'm not looking for a mechanic," Eve said, "I'm looking for someone who understands Nasod coding."

"I've given you all I know. The Proving Grounds. Find it, and you'll find the only 'expert' I am aware of. If anything, you can find more leads through him. Now. Is there anything else?"

"Where's The Proving Grounds?"

Thironin turned to the blonde, "Rose, correct? You seemed to know your way around Sander. Why don't you show your… friend here where it is?"

The blonde's brow furrowed as she looked back and forth between the two. Whatever tension had built between Eve and Thironin had faded, at least on the surface.

"I, uh, know where the scrap district is, yeah. But…"

"Then it's settled. Cleri? We have important matters to discuss, mainly your reasons for being here."

Thironin leaned forward as he addressed the emissary, his eyes seemed to be focused on the box sitting on the young woman's lap. Cleri instinctively pulled the box closer to herself as she smiled, nodding at the nobleman. "Of course. We want an audience with his Greatness so if you please-"

"I don't know if I should be leaving you alone with those two," Rose whispered, motioning at Thironin and his bodyguard.

"Relax," Cleri whispered back, giving Eve and Rose a confident, if not a little bit nervous, smile, "I can manage. Help Eve out first."

The blonde shook her head, "I'm not leaving you alone here." She turned her attention to Eve, "Are you okay with waiting? After we're done here, I can take you to the scrap district."

"I can manage on my own."

"I'd really prefer going with you. You have no idea what you're in for over there."

"Just tell me where to go," Eve said, a subtle tone of impatience in her voice.

"Okay… Don't say I didn't warn you. Zero's gonna send you coordinates. Once we're done with this meeting, I'll catch up with you. The scrap district isn't exactly open to lone Nasods."

"I'm beginning to think that's the case in all of Sander," Eve stated, getting a nervous chuckle from Rose.

"Ain't that the truth…"

Zero hovered over to Remy, his projected face was pulled to one side as he looked on at the white drone with uncertainty.

"Erm… hey, there… Remy."

The white drone stared at the yellow floating orb. "Greetings. Ready to receive coordinates."

"Wow. This is weird," Zero muttered as he transferred the information to the Nasod.

Moby tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, well, considering what happened and all. It's like I'm talking to a complete stranger."

"I know! Remy's been acting weird all day! I think she's mad at me."

"Hold on… Moby, you don't know?"

"Know…? Know what?"

Zero glanced up at Eve who quietly patted the black drone on his head.

"Thank you for the coordinates, Zero," Eve replied and she turned to leave.

"See ya in a little bit, Eve!" Rose called after her as she exited the room.

The Nasod waved her off, opening the door and motioning for her drones to follow. Remy lead the way with Moby close behind, stopping only when Eve took the black drone in her arms.

The door slowly creaked to a close behind her.

"Moby. About Remy…"

* * *

Walking the streets of Sander without her targeting systems online was definitely a new experience. Eve had never realized the sheer amount of information to take in from a simple glance. With her targeting system, she could easily filter out irrelevant or redundant information at a glance, allowing her to focus on primary objectives with ease. Without it though, the lights, colors, and everything else felt more vibrant-lively, even.

Eve wasn't sure if she liked it or not, seeing as how easily it was to lose Remy among the crowds of civilians coming and going from major district checkpoints. Her white drone dutifully led the way, a few meters ahead of the other two, a hologram of the city floating in front of Remy as she navigated the streets towards the scrap district. The city, even at night, was crowded, and the lack of a visual filter made it feel even more so. It was jarring to Eve when Remy would dip in and out of her line of sight and the visual aid wasn't there to track her movements with a highlighted display through obstacles.

The live visual feedback from Eve's drones were another casualty of her offline systems. Moby, who she had tasked with taking point and providing overwatch for the two, was unable to give Eve much information other than an audible cue that something was amiss. And to make things worse, the black drone had fallen largely silent during the trek to their objective.

The news about Remy went just as Eve had expected. Remy_003, at first, reacted similarly for the first few times Moby had sacrificed himself for his companions. But they eventually learn of the inevitability that came with protecting their queen. It was why Eve tried her best to minimize the amount of danger she put her companions through during her journey with the El Search Party. But because of their line of work, sacrifices always had to be made. And if Moby and Remy were ever presented the choice between Eve or themselves, they always defaulted to their primary objective: protect their queen.

Despite this, it never gets easier. Remy_003 had seen the death of her partner multiple times. Though she had never spoken out against it, Remy had learned, because of the black drone's selfless algorithm, to never get too attached to every other iteration of her partner. Unfortunately for Moby_094, it was a reality he was going to have to try and get used to.

It wasn't that saving their past life experiences were beyond Nasod capability. In fact, transferring Moby and Remy's backed up memories to a new vessel was what she did at one point. She stopped however after transferring Remy_002 to its updated vessel. She remembered that day after fighting the bone dragon in Bethma.

" _I feel… sad," the distraught Moby_041 whistled as Remy_003 booted herself up._

" _Why do you say that, Moby?" Eve asked as she uploaded the saved personality file, "With the exception of two weeks since we last backed up your memories, Remy should largely be the same."_

" _I watched her die. Remy_002._ My _Remy_002. This one… she's not 002. I don't… want to pretend like it didn't happen."_

It was the only time her companions had ever asked anything from her. Even with 041's passing, she felt obligated to keep his promise. It wasn't like she believed in anything ridiculous like the spirit of Moby's long past making sure she upheld her promise. It just brought her a sense of ease knowing that this was something Moby would have wanted. It was the least she could do for companions who would easily give their lives to protect her.

However, this was the first time Moby_094 had experienced the loss of a partner. Unsure of how to react to any of this, the black drone had withdrawn from the other two for the entirety of the trip across the metropolis. Thus far, he had said nothing further on the issue and simply went on to watch Remy from a distance. With Remy_003 gone, Eve is the only one aware of the promise she made to 041 long ago.

She could… just bring 003 back.

Eve stared up at the black drone flying just a few meters above them. It almost seemed his focus had never left Remy as she carried on guiding the two to their destination. The option floated around in her head, and she thought about asking Moby when they had the chance. She wondered if he'd let her do it. She wondered if it'd make her companion happy.

The coordinates Zero had provided included schedules of sky ferries that carried crowds of pedestrians for cheap. The scrap district was easy to pick out among the city sprawl. Its large smoke stacks standing nearly as tall as the sky platforms that dotted the city. Nestled within the center of the district was an enormous metal colosseum. The ferry docked itself not too far from the district's edge, and it wasn't much more of a walk from the station to their destination. Foot traffic had diminished greatly at this time of night and, judging by the choice of dress from pedestrians, Eve was in the more impoverished section of Sander.

There was also a significant lack of light compared to the rest of the city, and it wasn't readily obvious why until Eve had arrived at one of the district's main archways that greeted incoming traffic. A thick haze hung in the air. Smog. Even at night, when the smoke stacks weren't running, the air was heavy with a level of industrial ash that exceeded Eve's own foundries back in Altera. The entire district sat at the eastern edge of the metropolis and was sectioned off by high metal walls with enormous air pumps lining the walls. The design of each device was clearly Nasod in origin, but the way it was crudely retrofitted to serve as air filtration devices was undoubtedly the work of man.

"We've arrived at our destination," Remy reported, closing the hologram and taking a look around. "Aerial impurities exceeding acceptable levels. Prolonged exposure: ill-advised."

"We'll only be here as long as we need to," Eve said, inspecting her surroundings, as well. The streets weren't as congested as the other districts, but it made up for it in the amount of clutter that jutted out of structures such as pipes and a tangle of electrical wiring that hung overhead. The pedestrians that walked the streets wore some form of filtration mask and were covered in varying amounts of soot and grime.

Nasods also populated the streets. At the district gates, a mechanical quadra-ped was vacuuming up trash that littered the main street. Overhead were cleaning drones that washed and dusted the archway to the best of their retrofitted abilities. Not too far from the machines was a human garbed in a filthy street-cleaner uniform, donning a dusty gas mask. Strapped to the person was a large panel of controls that he used to guide the machines as they went about their duties.

Further down the street, Eve spotted a bipedal Nasod with a familiar ancient design, struggling to carry a large metal container filled to the brim with scrap metal. Despite its rather rigid metal frame, the machine was barely able to maintain its balance as it shuffled slowly along the street. It was a gardening unit. Type-F. Well, most of it was, at least. Much of its design originated from blueprints the Nasod king had created during the first revival. The rest of the gardening unit had been retrofitted, including reinforced joints, redesigned legs, and a repurposed water tank in its chest cavity that was turned into a tool storage compartment.

The most Type-Fs were designed to carry were several bags of fertilizer while tending the local fauna in Altera. They weren't as durable as an industrial grade drilling unit as their design was meant to carefully prune and trim the shrubbery. Out in the middle of Sander's desert, however, this seemed to have been transformed into someone's personal pack mule. The heavy pile of scrap, stacked a couple meters high, was mounted on the gardening unit's shoulders, and it struggled to keep pace with its human master who was standing at the corner of a busy intersection, tapping their foot as they waited.

Suddenly, a figure burst out from the side streets towards the gardening unit. With practiced precision, the figure rushed in from behind the Nasod and gave it a hard kick at the back of the knee joint. Type-F stumbled, causing it to slowly topple over under the sudden shift in weight. With a loud crash, the figure, standing over the fallen machine, signaled a flock of drones that flew in on their mark. The flock of drones quickly hoarded all the useful pieces of scrap before taking off after their leader who had ducked into another side street by the time the gardening unit's owner realized what was happening.

With a shout for help, red and blue lights flashed high above the main street as a swarm of security drones quickly gave chase.

"Alternative options: recommended. Your safety is at risk," Remy suggested.

"My systems are failing as it is, Remy. The longer we wait to find other solutions, the more difficult it will be. We need to find someone that can help me as soon as possible."

The white drone floated in front of her mistress, her lenses focusing deeply into Eve's golden eyes. Eve was suddenly struck by a pang of guilt as she stared at the emotionless pair of eyes looking back at her. It was as if she were back in Garpai village staring into 003's lifeless, accusatory eyes. 003 had warned her that all of it had been a bad idea, and Eve willingly ignored it.

Yet at the same time, a larger looming threat hung heavy in Eve's head. It was a simple number. 71%. Her brief use of Full Generate Mode had pushed her corruption up ten percent. She couldn't wait for another opportunity. She had to act.

"We're going," she ordered.

Without another word of protest, the white drone simply turned to lead the way. "Understood."

"Moby," Eve turned her attention to the drone providing overwatch, "Status update."

"You're being followed," the black drone reported. So half-hearted was his answer that it took Eve a moment to process what he was saying.

"Really? Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes."

"By who? Since when?"

Moby tilted slightly as he drifted around in the air, "Some guy in a cloak. Shortly after you left Thironin's office."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

The black drone didn't answer and continued to twirl lazily in the air.

"Moby!" Eve scolded, finally snapping some sense into the drone.

"You were telling me about Remy. And I wasn't a hundred percent sure he was following you… and I was mad."

"You… were mad?" Eve couldn't believe her drone. To omit critical information like this was directly putting his mistress's safety at risk.

"I still am!" Moby chirped.

"Moby!" Eve called, anger growing in her voice, "Get down here this instant!"

"No!"

Remy set herself infront if their mistress, "Do you wish for me to subdue the rogue Nasod?"

Moby buzzed angrily at the white drone. "You stay out of this you… you… fake Remy!"

"Remy, no. Don't. I'm going to need you to run a full sweep. Locate this person that's been following me. I'll talk to Moby."

"At once, mistress."

With that, Eve turned her attention back to the black drone. "Moby, this is serious. I need you to cooperate with me."

"No!"

"Moby, we need to know who's following us. If we don't know who it is or where they are then that only puts us in more danger. You don't want that to happen to us, do you?"

There's a brief pause from the black drone and, for a moment, it seemed as if Eve had finally gotten through to him… That is, until he turned and left them.

"Moby?" Eve called after the drone. By then his form had disappeared into the black night sky.

"Mistress! Moby has transferred the coordinates of our pursuer. He's… not too far from us. Just down the street from the air ferry." An image of the stalker winked into existence in front of Eve. The cloak the stalker wore was ragged and old. The filter of a gasmask could be seen peeking out from under the hood. It wasn't much to go by, but looking at the height and estimated build hidden under the cloak, Eve felt as if she should know who this person was.

"Any clear motive for following us to the other side of the city?"

"From here, it appears our stalker has not attempted to approach us and is, instead, opting to keep his distance. Awaiting orders, mistress," Remy chirped, "Shall I prime all available weapons…? Where's Moby?"

"He left us."

Remy turned to Eve, "Pardon?"

"He shouldn't have gone too far. But that's not important now. We need to lose this stalker."

"I recommend your mega electron cannon."

"No. Too many other civilians nearby. He's not doing anything, correct?"

"Other than observing you for now, no. He hasn't done anything."

"As it stands, we have no reason to defend ourselves. Attacking this individual now would only cause others to view us as an assailant. We'll move into the scrap district and attempt to lose him there."

"Understood."

With that, Eve doubled her pace, taking off into the scrap district with Remy close behind. She passed the street cleaner and stepped over the mess of the gardening unit towards the congested intersection.

By then, Eve was faintly aware of the thick haze that filled the air. At a glance, she noted civilians wandering the district to be wearing gas masks to protect from the smog that hung over the streets. She coughed, the itch of smoke and dust quickly filled her lungs as humans and machines crowded around her.

"He's following you," Remy reported a short distance above her.

How could he still see her in this crowd?

Realization struck her quickly as she quietly signaled Remy to fly down to her.

"No, he's following _you_ ," Eve said, clutching on to the white drone and keeping her concealed as she pushed through the crowd, "I think he knows wherever you go, I'll be nearby. We're going to have to travel blind for now."

"Understood."

Eve coughed once more and placed a hand over her mouth and nose.

"The air quality is significantly worse here," Remy reported.

"I'm aware. Thank you Remy." The crowd, however, was much more suffocating than the smog. It was like pushing through a living, undulating tunnel of bodies. Everything was touching her, pressing and bumping into her.

This continued for several minutes as she pushed deeper into the district until she couldn't take it anymore. She felt trapped. "We need to get out of this street," Eve muttered, a sick feeling welling in her stomach.

"Approaching sidestreet. We should have lost our pursuer by now."

Eve squeezed her way to the empty alleyway, stumbling into open space before leaning dizzily against the wall. She felt nauseous. It was one thing having a stranger touch her. It was another to have a crowd literally push and pull her.

"How can humans stand these living conditions?" the queen muttered, catching her breath.

"Mistress," Remy whispered, catching Eve's attention, "Look."

Eve followed her white drone's gaze towards a sign hanging in the middle of the alleyway.

 _Ralek's Chop Shop_

"What's a 'chop shop'?" Eve inquired.

"Searching definition… No known definitions exist. Possibly a butcher of some kind."

"We don't have time to worry about food."

"But, mistress, it doesn't seem like a butcher. It has a garage and from the looks of it, it has a workshop specifically for Nasod programming and machinery. Perhaps this individual knows something about Nasod coding?"

Eve approached the opened garage, glancing in and noting the faint fluorescent light cast over a workbench strewn with gears and wiring. She glanced over her shoulder towards the crowd, again. It wouldn't hurt to check and use this as an opportunity to hide from her pursuer.

"Remy, I'm putting you on watch," Eve said, "If we're still being followed, notify me immediately."

"Understood, mistress."

Eve stepped into the garage and was immediately greeted with the smell of oil and welded metal. The garage, although small in appearance, apparently was part of the entire building that bordered the alleyway. It was like a huge warehouse. A huge, crowded warehouse, stacked to the ceiling with piles of scrap metal and parts of old and unused machinery.

At least a dozen of flat, disk-like drones floated from one pile to another, sorting and arranging the parts. Several carried gears and cogs taken from other scraps and piled it on a large, central workbench where a tall, muscular man wearing a welding helmet was completely engrossed in his task at hand. He was welding what appeared to be a massive claw. Laser sights were set along the arm along with what appeared to be a gas nozzle in between the two pinchers.

Behind the man was another workbench where mechanical arms carefully soldered wiring onto a circuit board, causing a hologram of a projector to flicker to life. Above the mechanical arms was an awards shelf holding three first place trophies.

"Proving Grounds Championship" each one read followed by the sequential date of three years up until last year. Thironin mentioned this Proving Grounds when he sent her here. And this individual was a champion, to boot. Perhaps luck was on her side, this time and her search had come to an end.

Eve cleared her throat to catch the man's attention but ended up hacking a loud cough as dust was caught in her windpipe.

"Yep, one moment," the masked man said, finishing up his welding job before pulling off his welding helmet. He was a man in his thirties. A thin beard and leathered skin. He gave Eve a once over before raising a brow at her.

"You lost, woman?"

"No. I have a few questions."

"If it's about a broken hairdryer go find someone else to bother. I got a deadline to meet," the man said, flipping on his mask again before returning to his welding job.

"It's about Nasod coding."

"Coding, huh?" the man replied uninterested, "I know my way around a line of code, easy. But listen, lady, I got a very busy day tomorrow. Unless it's urgent, I can't help you."

Eve stepped towards the workbench, opening several of her display windows and bringing up the large red number. With a push of her hands, the hologram floated into the man's sight, and he instinctively tried to brush it away like a fly before realizing what it was and stopping his current task.

"The hell…?" he pulled off his helmet and looked at the floating hologram.

 _Exotic Code Corruption: 71%_

He stared at the display curiously before turning his gaze towards Eve, noting the ear cones on the Nasod's head to be projecting the display.

"That's some fancy tech you got there," he said, suddenly interested, "Where'd you get it from?"

"I was built with it."

"You were… what?" the man's eyes narrowed as he took a step towards Eve, inspecting her from top to bottom with more attention to detail. He noted the blue gem on her head, the markings on her cheeks, the cones for ears. "Are you a…"

Eve nodded and with a flick of her wrist, dozens of windows were put on display, showing off just a portion of her capabilities as a Nasod.

"Whoa…" the man whispered, turning to each window in wonder. He looked back at Eve, a more excited gleam in his eyes. "You have a weapons cache?!"

Eve nodded again.

"Access to pocket dimensions… A neural communications port… An advanced behavioral learning algorithm… Incredible…"

"Can you fix me?"

"What?"

Eve closed all the windows except one, putting the red corruption number front and center before the man. "Can you fix me?"

"Exotic Code corruption…?"

"Everything, all my capabilities as a functioning Nasod, is slowly being taken away by this Exotic Code built within me. I cannot remove it. I need you to do that for me. Can you do that?"

He rubbed his beard in thought, eyes narrowing once more as he stared into Eve's golden pools. "Where's your owner?"

Eve's lips pulled down on a slight, visible frown. "No one owns me," she announced proudly.

"Yeah… yeah. Okay, I think we'd have a mutually beneficial business transaction," Ralek mumbled, his eyes staring not at Eve but at the distant horizon far past her, "Provided you do something for me first."

"And that is?"

"Name's Ralek, by the way," the man said, extending a hand towards Eve.

Eve stared at his hand before simply flicking her hair over her shoulder, "Eve."

"Right, well, Eve, before I begin, come this way," he said, ushering her to a thick iron chair oddly situated by the workbench. "Have a seat."

"I'd rather stand, thank you."

"It's going to take a while if you want my help."

Eve sighed and strode over to the chair and taking a seat on its cold, hard, surface. "You said I had to do something for you in return?"

"First off, a few questions," Ralek said. He sat across from her, at the corner of the workbench as he looked to a green, holo-projected, control panel strapped to his arm. "Your weapons cache? I noticed you had one. Where is it?"

"It's stored within my generated pocket dimension. Using El, I can open rifts in this realm and summon anything my Nasod foundries have created for me."

"You have foundries?"

"Yes. Essentially an unlimited supply of weapons are at my disposal provided I have the El to open the rifts."

"Fascinating. An unlimited supply of weapons…"

"But because of the corruption, I'm unable to access the majority of these weapons. Which is why I need your help."

"And all of your codes are stored… here?" Ralek pointed at the blue gem on Eve's head. She nodded but smacked his hand away when it drew too close to her forehead.

"Yes. So can you help me or not? Just as a warning, I don't have much money to pay you as of yet but I can pay off the debt in due time."

"Oh don't worry, Eve. You'll be making me money in no time." Ralek pressed a button on his control panel.

One of his drones hovering behind him launched a bolas at its intended target, catching Eve off guard. The cord swiftly wrapped around the Nasod and the chair, effectively pinning her to her seat before she even had a chance to react.

"What… what are you doing?!" Eve struggled against the binding.

"As I said, you and I can benefit from our mutual agreement. You make me rich with whatever tech you got in that head of yours, and I make sure your little glitch doesn't bother you anymore. First things first, though," he hopped off the table and leaned in close to Eve, running a thick oily finger across her delicate neck, "I'm going to need my buzz saw."

"Ralek, you wouldn't…"

"To a person, absolutely not. Murder is a crime punishable by death," Ralek said, disappearing behind her, "But you're just a machine. And as far as the law is concerned, the worst I'd get canned for is destruction of someone else's property… but you're no one's property." She could feel him grinning at her behind her back. Eve struggled against the bindings once more and she heard the man's fading chuckles as he strode across the warehouse.

"You hang tight now. I'll only be a moment. Gotta dig up old reliable."

His heavy footfalls vanished around the stacks of scrap, and she was left to the sounds of her own struggling under the bindings. The entire time, the drone hovering in front of her maintained watch; another bolas round was loaded and ready to fire.

She couldn't create a spear on her own to cut her way out. Not unless she used Full Generate Mode. She stared at the percentage hanging on display in front of her. If she used the program, her corruption would skyrocket again. Eve could only do so much with what little she had available as it was.

Chirping caught her attention as the little white drone appeared flying into the garage.

"Mistress! Mistress your pursuer he-" the white drone stopped dead in its tracks upon seeing Eve tied to a chair. All available enemy drones within the vicinity turned to the new intruder.

"Remy… help!" Eve gasped.

Without another word, the white drone flew to the rescue, dodging the bolas round fired at her before slamming into the enemy drone's rotor system. It flew back at the impact, crashing into the scrap heap, prompting the rest of the chop shop drones to attack. Remy revved her motors as she collided headlong with one of the drones, the impact sending her in a dizzying spin but taking out another in the process.

She quickly recovered, rolling backwards to narrowly dodge another drone before looping up and catching the fourth enemy drone at its exposed underside, shattering it into pieces.

"Requesting permission to use spears!" Remy tweeted, swinging around to intercept another drone rising up behind Eve.

"Permission: granted."

"Mistress, pull your head back, please!" Remy requested. Eve did just that, leaning her head back and turning away just as a spear was shot downward at her. The sharpened edge whistled by Eve's cheek, running down her torso and gently grazing over the fabric of her clothes. It tore through the bindings wrapped tightly around her chest, freeing Remy's mistress with the spear coming to a stop just between Eve's thighs.

The queen pulled off the bindings just as the spear dissipated before her, and she quickly jumped out of the chair and made a run for the exit.

"Remy! To me!" Eve ordered, getting an acknowledging whistle from her white drone.

"Hey!" Ralek could be heard emerging from the back of the warehouse, "Stop that android!"

Eve left the chop shop just as the buzz of a dozen more drones could be heard revving up behind her.

"Remy, prime all available weapons," Eve said in between breaths as she let out a hacking cough from the smog-filled air. She continued to run down the alleyway, reaching a split in the road before deciding to hang a left.

"Weapon availability is limited to your mega electron cannon, your spears, and your explosive whip."

"Prime all of them!" Eve wheezed. Another fork. She hung another left and descended down stairs deeper into the ironworks of the scrap district. The entire time the buzzing sound of approaching drones could be heard drawing ever closer.

"Electron cannon, ready."

Eve pooled her energy reserves to her hand, causing a faint blue glow to appear at her palm. She leapt into the air and flicked a disk of electrical energy at the pursuers. During this motion, she expected an immediate lock with her systems. However, she was quickly reminded that her targeting systems were offline. Target acquisition and aiming had to be done manually. The disk flew wide and away from its intended target, impacting the high brick walls and causing the area to rain dust and debris behind her.

She gritted her teeth and flung another two disks at the pursuing drones behind her. Again and again, they missed, blowing up nearby pipes and causing more destruction to her surroundings than her actual targets. She was now fully aware of how different it was to actually have to aim now without her targeting system.

"Mistress!" Remy whistled, catching Eve's attention. The queen stumbled to a stop upon reaching a dead end with high walls canopied by a maze of thick steam pipes. She was trapped.

Spinning around, Eve was met with a sudden volley of bolas rounds that she could do nothing but shield herself against.

Remy flew in to intercept one, its tight wires and weight immediately throwing the drone on a spin while Eve tried to dodge every other subsequent shot. Her leg was caught, then her arms. Eventually she could do nothing but fall over, her limbs completely bound together. Eve wheezed a weak gasp of air, her lungs choking on the dust as she wrestled against her bindings.

The metal grates further down the alleyway creaked under heavy boots. Ralek's muscular frame could be seen coming down the stairway. A gasmask was strapped to his head. He paused to catch his breath as his smile could be felt even through the mask.

"Thought you could get away, didn't ya?" he wheezed. Pulling up his controls. With a few gestures, the drones moved aside. Ralek looked about at the destruction Eve caused. "I must say, you pack quite a punch for something so small. Oh, the money you'd make me once I break you down to individual parts. I do apologize, though. I know I said you weren't going to be worth my time, but after seeing all this? Eve, you have proved me wrong."

Eve said nothing and continued to struggle with her bindings.

"No need to worry now, though. I've found old reliable," he reached behind him and extracted a large buzz saw. Pulling the trigger caused the blade to spin in a loud shriek, "I'll be sure to make this quick." He stepped closer, rolling Eve to her back with his boot as the saw drew closer.

Eve stared wide-eyed at the whirling blade, pulling her head away and involuntarily exposing her neck. Through the smokey lenses of the man's goggles, she could see the look of pure sadistic excitement glaring back at her.

Suddenly, a shot rang out through the alleyway. Its echo was emphasized when one of the drones suddenly burst into shrapnel directly behind Ralek.

Another shot, and the explosive round tore through a second drone, this one managing to catch the man in its collateral.

He hissed under his mask, shielding himself from the explosion as he turned towards the stairway. A shadowy figure stood at the top of the stairs.

"Who-" Ralek began but was interrupted by another series of gunshots, each taking out another one of his drones.

"Stay out of this!" Ralek snarled. With a push of a few buttons, more drones appeared from high above, catching the intruder by surprise and opening fire with live rounds.

The shadow withdrew, the drones giving chase. Ralek turned to Eve, then to the stairs as the sound of more of his machines being destroyed could be heard.

"Shit… Wait here. I'll be back for you."

Ralek took off after them, leaving Eve to lay helplessly as the sounds of battle grew fainter and fainter.

"Mistress… Mistress!" Remy chirped. Eve turned to the sound of her white drone and found the poor thing stuck against a brick wall. The bolas wrapped around her had embedded itself into the hard surface.

"Mistress! Are you unharmed?"

"Yes, Remy. But I'm still tied down. I can't move."

"I'm unable to move as well. I'm attempting to contact Moby as we speak. He's… he's on his way!"

"How close is he?"

A voice shouted at stairs of the alleyway.

"Found you!" a familiar female voice shouted. Quick, light, footsteps bounded down the stairs towards Eve. It was Rose. She holstered her revolver and knelt down at the Nasod's side. She had a disposable dust mask fitted over her mouth and nose.

Eve stared up at the blonde as the young woman undid the bindings.

"I can't leave any of you people alone for a second, can I?" she laughed, reaching into her pack and extracting a second dust mask for Eve, "First I get caught up with all the foot traffic around, then your black drone comes by screaming something or another to come help you. Lucky Zero was there to translate, or I would've never found you here."

"M-Moby…?" Eve muttered, drawing in a deep, haggard breath as she pulled on the filtration mask. She saw the black drone peeking over Rose's shoulder. She rose to a sitting position, rubbing her arms loose.

"Can you walk? We need to get you somewhere safe so I can _properly_ introduce you to this district. Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I say I'd rather be with you when you go out on your own."

"Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do. Let's go before that big guy comes back." Rose offered to dust the Nasod off but wisely hesitated. Eve stood and dusted herself off before making her way up the stairs. As she cleaned herself up, Moby and Rose moved to the white drone still tied to the brick wall. The blonde reached into her boot, pulling out a small blade which she used to sever the wires.

"You didn't… deal with him?" Eve asked, half expecting Ralek to return at any moment.

"Didn't know what was going on. So no, I didn't open fire on him."

"But… you shot down his drones."

Rose threw Eve a confused look.

"I didn't shoot anything. I just followed the sound of explosions, to this little side street. Next thing I know I see a whole swarm of flying Nasods rush by and some big muscular dude chasing after them."

"Then… who," Eve trailed off as they reached the top of the stairs. Drops of blood trailed from the stairs back down the path Eve ran through earlier. They carefully followed the trail of blood and destroyed drones further down until they arrived at one of the two junctions. Resting on the ground, along the bloody trail, laid a rather peculiar looking weapon.

It was a silver revolver.

Eve picked up the weapon and inspected its strange weight and design. It was heavier than it appeared and much larger than the typical revolver; almost the length of her entire forearm and easily twice as heavy with two linked barrels, to boot. Two revolving chambers were built one on top of another and neither appeared to be able to house any rounds.

"It's an El-powered revolver," Rose whispered, "I've only seen a few of these in existence. Though I've never seen one with two chambers… much less two linked barrels."

Eve nodded, looking to Remy and Moby who seemed to be keeping a great distance away from each other. She held up the revolver. "Can either one of you help create something for this?"

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, watching as Remy volunteered and flew to scan the weapon's specifics. It flew in behind her mistress and opened a portal, causing data to flow out into a temporary holster resting at Eve's lower back.

The Nasod holstered the weapon before turning to Rose, "I may need it."

"...Why? Don't you have all those fancy weapons that you can create?"

Eve shook her head and was about to explain when Ralek's voice caught their attention. He was heard shouting at the far end of one of the branching paths. "And good riddance! Damn thief nearly took out all of my drones… shit!"

"C'mon. We'll talk about this later," Rose said, motioning Eve to follow her down another path, "Let's not stick around and wait for him to find you missing."

* * *

"So that explains why you were tied up," Rose muttered, totally engrossed in Eve's recollection of earlier that evening. They sat at a corner booth of a rather empty bar still within the scrap district. Only a few patrons were present at this time and a Nasod barmaid-a maid unit stripped down to their bare metallic frame-was doing her rounds among the other tables. In front of the blonde was a half-empty glass of whiskey.

"And you can't use any of your weapons at all?" Rose pressed further.

Eve shook her head, "I can use only a fraction of my arsenal at my state. My ranged capabilities are limited even further due to the corrupted targeting system. This revolver may be the only option I have when engaging threats at medium and long range."

"That's rough," Rose sighed, leaning back and sipping on her glass, "I wish I knew enough about coding to help you but… I'm more of a mechanical engineer than a programmer."

"Which is why I needed to find this Nasod Expert in the first place," Eve sighed as well, "Though I'm not so sure it's even worth my time anymore."

"What makes you say that?"

"In Ralek's shop, I noticed several awards hung on a shelf naming him the champion of the Proving Ground all up until last year. He was the one I was looking for… but, seeing as how he treated me..."

"That doesn't seem like a good option." Rose agreed, "So what's your next move, then?"

Eve leaned forward, giving a half-hearted shrug, "With my only hope of fixing my problem no longer an option, I suppose all I can do is wait until the corruption has rendered me completely unable to function."

Rose frowned at this, "Hey, hold on. Don't give up just yet. There still may be another way."

"Rose, I'm a Nasod. We are superior to humanoids in many aspects. Where your kind is unpredictable and unable to grasp the full extent of your abilities, a Nasod knows the expanse of their strength. But, at the same time, it is one of our greatest flaws: the law of absolutes. There is no 'maybe'. There is no 'might'. We know our limitations, and if something is beyond what we can do, then there is no way we can overcome it. No amount of will or reckless abandon can change the fact that there's nothing I can do to stop my corruption."

"And that's why you hang around us humans, is it not?" Rose grinned.

Eve looked up at the blonde, tilting her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You know your limitations. But like you said, we are unpredictable. We don't know how far we can go and that pushes us to explore those limits. Maybe… there's something unexpected I can do to help you fix your code," Rose reached into her pack and began digging for something.

"You already told me you didn't know much about programming. How could you possib-"

Rose extracted a poster from her pack, setting it on the table for Eve to see. It featured a purple background and a mock up of some kind of Nasod war machine built in the likeness of a scorpion.

" _Only the greatest in Nasod Ingenuity! Money reward for best built machines! Register at participating pubs!"_

"Look! I was going to show you this flyer that I found before Moby came searching for me! The expo is tomorrow so we don't have a lot of time… But if we enter you into the expo, we can meet-"

Eve shook her head, "I already told you: Ralek was the person I was looking for."

"Was he, though?" Rose grinned, "You said he was the champion all until last year. If they hold this tournament yearly… then that means someone must have beaten him at the last expo."

Eve stared at the poster, recalling the dates and pieced Rose's reasoning together bit by bit in her head. It was only a couple months ago when the ponggoes informed her of this "Nasod Expert". If that was the case, then that meant…

Eve's eyes widened.

"So am I entering you in this expo, or what?" Rose smiled.

"Y...yes. That would be an exceptional idea."

The blonde brushed her fringe away from her eyes, "Glad I could help."

"Though… I've been curious about something."

"What's that, Eve?"

"Why are you helping me?"

"Is it wrong for me to help you?"

"It is for you," Eve replied, "You and I exchanged very little dialogue up until now. Even during our voyage to Sander, I noticed you took extra effort to avoid interacting with me."

"Ah," Rose shrugged, "I don't like owing people."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't like being indebted to others. I try to pay back my favors when I can."

"What did I do for you?"

"What? You forgot already?" Rose looked at Eve, a slightly hurt expression crossing the blonde's face, "You saved my life back in Garpai. I don't know. I guess it might just be another normal day for you, but there are only a handful of people I can name that'd go out of their way to take care of me. And I learned that taking them for granted is the biggest mistake I can make…

"Just think of this as a thank you. I know, it's odd, since I've avoided speaking to you up until recently, but I'd rather help you out than watch you suffer through this alone. It's not how I was raised… and I know I'd be disappointing a certain someone if I ignored a person in need."

The Nasod tilted her head, leaning forward on the table, "Why were you avoiding contact with me?"

The young markswoman's lips pursed as she tried to find the proper explanation.

"I wasn't exactly a fan of you back in my timeline."

"Oh?"

Rose scratched the back of her head, grimacing as she recalled the unpleasant memories of her past, "I'll tell you some other time. Maybe over a drink after all of this is over. You _do_ drink, don't you?"

"Water, when necessary, yes. My digestive systems are more efficient when compared to other humanoids."

"No, I mean, like, alcohol."

"I don't see a reason to. Water is significantly more hydrating-"

"I feel like it's my duty to share a drink with you then," Rose said, sliding the nearly empty glass of whiskey towards Eve.

The Nasod eyed the chestnut-colored liquid, swirls of melted ice floated at its surface. "Why?"

"Because we're celebrating our victory! We're entering you in a tech expo. You are literally the embodiment of the latest in Nasod tech. This will be a shoe-in. And when you win, you can meet any of the runner-ups and get the help you need!"

"I… suppose you're right," Eve muttered, picking up the glass.

Rose nodded at her to drink and Eve did so. Immediately, Eve felt like the cold burn of alcohol hitting the back of her throat. She gagged, setting the glass down as Rose looked on at her smiling.

"Takes a bit to get used to. At least that's what Roger taught me."

"Who?" Eve coughed.

"No one," Rose sighed, shaking her head.

"This tastes terrible… How do you humans…" Eve held a hand over her mouth, her eyes were starting to water as the liquid burned its way down to her stomach.

Eve brought up a panel but was immediately bombarded with a multitude of warnings saying her taste regulators were corrupted. Eve huffed, shutting the program down as well before sitting to let the taste fade on its own.

"What was that program for?"

"My taste sensors. It's a program that regulates how much flavor I experience."

"So, what… does it make things taste better to you?"

"It can. But I use it to remove irrelevant flavors. It's corrupted, now, though… So unfortunately I must deal with this taste in my mouth until it goes away."

"I feel like you're missing out on a lot by using that program to begin with."

"The focus is intake. Taste has little to do with nutritional value."

"Right… right," Rose nodded, half-heartedly, "So we going to sign you up now, or what?"

"Yes. Where do we register?"

"Right at this bar! It's why I chose it. But… I feel like for this to work, I'm going to need you to do a little acting for me."

"Acting? What do you mean?"

"Let me be your owner," Rose suggested, getting a less-enthused-than-usual stare from Eve. "Relax. We're pretending, remember?"

Eve didn't like the suggestion, and it was obvious in her hesitancy. "Is this all really necessary?"

"Need I remind you of Ralek? If you want to get through this as quickly, and with as little incident as possible, you need an owner. I'll pretend to be your owner, and you pretend to work under my command. It makes things a lot more streamlined, and less people are inclined to turn you into scrap metal."

Eve pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed with the human's logic, "Fine."

"I'll be the best owner you've ever had," Rose grinned.

Eve squinted at the blonde, noting the way Rose fidgeted as the Nasod looked into her electric blue eyes. "Don't push your luck."

"I'm joking! Just trying to get you into your role."

Eve flapped her arms outward as she waited for something to happen. "So what do I do, then?"

"Well, the way you talk is going to be a problem."

"What significance does my speech pattern play?"

"You look, walk, and talk like any other humanoid. Even the most advanced machines in this district can't hold a candle to you. My presence as your 'owner' can only do so much."

Eve nodded, remembering the way she saw the gardening unit being robbed when she first arrived at the scrap district.

Rose continued, "The moment people realize you're a Nasod and not a human, it only takes one idiot to make the first move. Hearing you speak and seeing you move so fluidly is only goading those people to do just that. Can you, maybe, tone it down a bit? Act more… robotic?"

"Like?"

"Walk like a robot?" Rose said, mimicking the stilted movements of a machine.

"No," Eve replied flatly.

"That's a stupid idea," Zero agreed.

"Talk like one then?" Rose suggested, face flustered after being called out.

"What do you mean talk like one?"

"I don't know… like, beeping or booping whenever you speak?"

"No," she stated flatly once more, "I'll speak how I want."

"Fine," Rose muttered, "Don't say I didn't warn you, though. You're only making things more difficult for yourself in the long run." Rose huffed. "But at least try to act more… robotic." She stood and motioned for Eve to follow her.

"I'll try."

"Who do I see about entering this expo?" the blonde asked, approaching the bar. She slammed the advertisement down on the counter.

"Me," the bartender replied, looking Eve up and down. He was a rather rotund male with greasy matted hair and a thinly trimmed beard that enclosed around his neck like a helmet strap. He threw the Nasod a rather peculiar smirk as they approached that made Eve want to look away. Remembering her job, she fought the urge and simply stared straight ahead, standing as rigidly as possible.

"Any specific requirements for participating?"

"Sure," the bartender said, not taking his eyes off Eve, "As long as there's a bit of Nasod tech built into your machine, you're fine to go. Other than that, it's free game."

"Ah, good. So she can apply, then?" Rose motioned at Eve.

"That's Nasod tech on her, right?" he pointed out the most obvious: the blue jewel on her head and the cones on her ears.

"Sure is. She's a full fledged Nasod."

"Really? I coulda sworn she was a real person," the bartender whistled, "Where'd you find the parts to build this beauty?" He reached over the counter to get a feel of the Nasod's hair. Eve was nearly about to pull away, but Rose covered for her, slapping the man's hand and wagged a finger at him.

"Don't touch the merch. She's newly built and no, I won't disclose my sources. Now, are you going to enter me in or what?"

"To… wait the Proving Grounds? You're entering the Proving Grounds with that thing?"

"Yeah."

The bartender raised a brow, clear uncertainty written all over his face as he dug under the counter and pulled out the paperwork. "I don't think that'd be a good idea considering how fragile it looks."

"She's a lot tougher than she seems."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it," the bartender said, giving Eve another once over, "You could pass 'her' off at the Tailfeather as an 'exotic' good. Sure to make decent money there."

Rose's brow furrowed at the suggestion but then widened as she realized what he was suggesting. "I don't want to put her there. I want her on the Proving Grounds."

"What's the Tailfeather?" Eve asked Rose. She caught the bartender staring perplexedly at her. Rose raised a hand to Eve, giving her a brief intense glance before motioning at the bartender with her eyes. Eve blinked before realizing she might have stepped out of line and immediately moved to rectify the situation.

Eve sighed, "Beep."

"Ah, yeah. She's definitely a machine," the bartender laughed.

Satisfied, Rose attempted to keep the conversation on track, "Are you gonna sign me up or what?"

"In all honesty, ma'am, your little Nasod here doesn't look like she'd last in the Proving Grounds, considering the opposition she'll be up against."

"W...what? It's a tech expo! What do you mean 'considering the opposition'?"

"Well, we have a few returning competitors from last year. Among the line-up, you have the most recent champ… we also got Ralek attempting to reclaim his title-"

"Ralek!" Eve gasped. Rose and the bartender turned to the Nasod after her sudden outburst. "Boop."

Rose shushed her and covered Eve's mouth, before giving the man a nervous smile.

To think Eve would ever see such a horrible human being again. Yet, as she thought about it more, it made sense: the awards lining Ralek's shelf, how he said he was working on something important, the mechanical claw he was welding together. This was for the expo. But the project he was working on appeared more focused on weaponry than on breaking new technological limits.

"Yes… Ralek," the bartender cleared his throat, "Three time champion of the Proving Grounds. After his mecha scorpion had been destroyed, he's out for blood. Specifically the current champ's blood."

"Wait," Rose turned to the bartender, "What do you mean destroyed?"

"Broken? Blown up? Vaporized? Reduced to an irreparable state? I don't know how else to describe something that don't work no more."

"What the hell is the Proving Grounds, anyways? It's just a tech expo, right?"

The bartender laughed, "Clearly you and your machine aren't up for the challenge. The Proving Grounds is a Nasod battle royale. Last one standing; where only the best built machines survive. Ralek was the undisputed champ in the last three we had. But he was completely destroyed by the current champ a year ago. After last year's slaughter he knows he has one hell of a mountain to climb. I don't expect him to pull any punches this year. Looking at your pretty little robot there, I doubt it'd last a full minute."

"Who's the champion?" Eve asked, "Beep."

"I'd tell you, but… he's like the wind, really. One moment he's here, just a regular guy entering the contest, then the next, his machine just obliterates anything that stands in its way. Before we even realized it, he's off with the prize money and the title, never to be heard from again. That is… until now."

"Sounds like an urban legend," Rose chuckled.

"Hey, ma'am, if you want to enter your machine into the firing line, that's not my problem. I'm just trying to warn you beforehand: you can't win."

Rose looked to Eve, noticing a peculiar gleam in the Nasod's golden eyes. It looked like… Eve was eager to prove this man wrong.

"You want to meet this champ, don't you? Think you're up for the challenge?" Rose asked.

In the back of the Nasod's mind, she knew her drones would be highly against her doing it. After the run in with Waldo and Ralek, she had already subjected her drones to more danger than she should have. She can only imagine how angry Moby would be if he learned what she would be doing once more. She couldn't involve them. This was something she was going to try and handle herself. She just needed to find out who the champion was, anyways. She didn't even have to win. All she had to do was lay low.

"Boop."

"Sign us up," Rose said to the bartender.

"Alright. Alias?"

"Rose."

"And your machine?"

"Uh…" Rose tapped her chin, "I didn't… think I'd need one for her. How about Eve?"

"Mmm…" the bartender scrunched his face in disapproval, "I mean, if you're going for cute then why not? But I was thinking something on the intimidating side."

"Intimidating, huh…" Rose muttered.

"Nemesis," Eve said. "Beep."


	11. Chapter 10: The Proving Grounds

**A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Taee, and Mirai-akina for the edits and feedback on this chapter. Enjoy!**

Sander Palace's golden limestone towers seemed to glitter in the early morning sun. The temperature was already beginning to rise within the shaded palace walls, and Cleri had insisted this would be the best time to enjoy an outdoor meal before it got too hot.

Eve searched for Rose and Cleri in the thick palace gardens. The emissary had said something about meeting her here after Eve had finished showering. Tables dotted the few open areas of the garden and, because of the sheer size, it took a moment for the Nasod to actually locate the two. She eventually found them closest to a bar nestled in one of the corners of the grounds, seated at one of the many open tables that accommodate visitors. Surrounded by palm trees and colorful desert flowers native only to the Sander region, it was a welcome, serene change of scenery away from the busy metropolis sprawl.

She approached the table, noting the extra chair that had been pulled up for her. A plate of buttered toast and eggs was laid out for the Nasod.

"Didn't know what you liked to eat so… I just got you something pretty normal. Food here is expensive, and this is all we can scrape by," Rose said before taking a long sip of water.

"You're not eating?"

"I can go without food for a day," Rose shrugged, "Besides, you'll need the strength more than any of us right now."

Eve stared at the food then accepted it graciously before turning to Cleri. "Thank you, again, for allowing me to stay in your room," Eve said with a small bow before taking her seat.

Cleri stared up at her from her single slice of butter and toast.

"No problem, Eve! I wasn't going to let you go a whole night without a place to stay! Honestly, I can't believe Thironin didn't even bother providing a room for you."

"After last night's run in with Ralek, I find this sort of behavior to be expected from the people of Sander," Eve gave an exasperated sigh before picking up the toast and biting into it. She blinked, staring at the warm, crunchy slice, visibly taken aback by the unexpected rush of flavor.

"Last night's run-in?" Cleri tilted her head, "Now that you mention it, you two did come back quite late. Did something happen in the scrap district?"

"A lot, actually," Rose groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she recalled the events from a few hours ago. "Well to start off, Eve apparently met this guy named Ralek-"

"Ah, found them over here!" Elesis's voice shouted through the brush. The redhead appeared from around the corner, motioning for others to follow. "Good morning, you three! I see you found a food place. Great!"

"I think we have just enough to feed the three of you if you don't mind splitting an orange," Rose grumbled, looking through Cleri's money bag.

"Ah, give it to Els and Raven. I'll hold out till our next meal," Elesis said with a shrug.

"Whenever, that is," Rose snorted, tossing the nearly empty purse back towards Cleri. She looked at the redhead, cocking a brow. "You're in a chipper mood," she said as the Velder Knight strode over to their table and pulled up a chair next to Rose. She was dressed in her casual wear: a nearly threadbare linen top that had seen better days and a pair of ivory shorts. Fresh white bandages could be seen wrapped around her torso through the many holes on her shirt. For the most part, it seemed the bleeding had stopped.

"Yep! It's crazy what a nice cozy bed and a cool morning shower can do to someone, huh? Or do you prefer me being grouchy and miserable?" Elesis grinned widely at Rose. The blonde simply turned her head away.

Elesis chuckled and motioned again towards the others who had just rounded the corner. Raven appeared, keeping pace with Elsword as the young man was rolled in on a wheelchair. A short, young girl with long silver-lavender locks and a pair of glasses too thick for an average child pushed him along.

The leader of the El Search Party plastered on the best smile he could muster. Clearly aware of his limitations sitting on the wheelchair, the young man looked to be trying way too hard to keep up with Elesis's mood. He raised a potion bottle with strange, purple liquid in it before taking a sip of the elixir.

"I wasn't expecting his injuries to be that bad," Rose whispered.

"It's actually a lot better," Elesis whispered back, "Doctor Vapor said it's a miracle he was even alive with all his shattered bones. What she did for him was better than any doctor I've ever seen. She says he'll be combat ready by the end of this week."

"I've never heard of a potion that worked that quickly before…"

"Me neither. Regardless, my brother's going to make it out okay. That's more than I can ever wish for..."

Rose's facial expression softened after seeing the Blazing Heart's eyes nearly gloss over as she said that. To her, this was a side of Elesis that she was seeing for the first time. Elesis glanced at Rose, and the blonde quickly turned her head, staring straight ahead. Not at Elsword or Raven, but past them.

"I have you to thank, too, for saving him. I guess I never got the chance to in between carrying Els back to the airship and tearing Raven a new one. So. Thanks. And sorry for being a bitch."

"Y-yeah. You're welcome." Looking back at the redhead, Rose noticed Elesis was practically beaming at her, "Just… watch your temper next time."

"I think it'll be easier knowing we have a roof over our heads, thanks to Cleri."

The emissary perked at the mention of her name, and she looked on at the others, trying to hide the fact that she had stuffed her face with a slice of toast.

"M-me?" she asked, mouth still half full.

By then, Raven and Elsword had reached the table, and Eve and Cleri had to scoot aside to give room to them.

"Yeah," Raven said, getting the last half of the conversation, "Doctor Vapor filled us in on the details. You secured lodgings for us for the remainder of the trip."

"A-ah… yeah. Well. It was… a difficult negotiation," Cleri muttered, her voice a soft whisper.

"All we have to worry about is food, but we can manage now with what little funds we have. Still, it'd be nice to have a full steak dinner every night, huh?" Elesis laughed.

Eve noted the way Cleri seemed to dip her head as she spoke. The emissary looked up and noted that Eve was staring at her, prompting the young woman to keep her eyes glued to the plate.

In any normal situation, Eve would have pointed this out to everyone. But she had learned what this human emotion was. She had studied it some time ago and recognized the facial and behavioral patterns expressed in front of her. This was guilt. For whatever the reason, Eve didn't press her for it. Not now, at least. Not with everyone around.

"Elsword?" the Nasod looked over the young man on the wheelchair, "Are you well?"

"I've been better," the knight sighed, his stiff movement only hinting at the pain he was in. But despite this, he seemed very much able to move. "Actually, I'm doing better than I normally would, all things considered. Granny Vapor is one hell of a doctor."

"Granny Vapor…?"

Eve felt another pair of eyes on her.

Looking over her shoulder, she was almost pushed off her seat by the close proximity of a young girl with aqua blue eyes and silver-lavender hair. She was dressed in native Sander attire consisting of a brown sleeveless vest that was draped over a small brown bikini top. She wore a brown skirt with old Sander tribal patterns weaved into the hem. A hefty bag of herbs and elixirs had been slung over her shoulder. Sitting on her head was an enormous, poofy hat with a smoking pipe wedged between its woven fabric. Thick glasses that looked a little too large for the young girl had to be constantly readjusted to keep from sliding down the bridge of her nose.

"Fascinating," the girl said, adjusting her thick glasses as she leaned in closer to inspect Eve's facial features. The Nasod leaned away, and the girl quickly reached into her pack and pulled out a purple vial, practically shoving it against Eve's face. "Drink."

"No."

"Ah, Eve, don't mind her. That's how she is," Elsword said, taking a sip of his potion bottle, which contained a similarly colored liquid. He leaned in closer to whisper in Eve's direction. "That's Granny Vapor. Don't let her looks deceive you, though. Apparently, she's really old. People say she discovered the secret to eternal youth."

"I see," Eve said just as the girl tried to shove the potion bottle in her face again.

"Drink!" Vapor ordered.

Despite Elsword saying she was older than she seemed, she certainly demanded like a small child. "No," Eve said, annoyance getting the better of her. "Why do you insist I drink this?"

"You are a Nasod. Yet you look very much like a human. You are ingesting human food. By nature, I am obligated to learn how your body reacts to my elixirs. Now drink!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"My repair systems are superior to elixirs. I have no use for them." Eve crossed her arms. She withheld the fact that her corrupted system had actually compromised her repair protocol long ago.

"Oh, just let her see how it works on you, Eve," Elsword insisted, "Besides: it's grape flavored! Much better than that crap they usually hand out at the shops. It wouldn't hurt to try. Look how it helped me."

Eve frowned at Elsword for supporting the young girl's behavior, but she relented, taking the vial of strange purple liquid, popping the cork, and downing it in one gulp.

He was right. It was grape flavored. It was also strong, fizzy, and dried her throat on the way down. The Nasod corked the vial, handing it back to the little doctor as she sat there, waiting for something to happen.

"Well?" the little girl asked, "Feel any different?"

"Is it supposed to work that quickly?"

Doctor Vapor nodded.

Eve sat there, waiting for something to change before turning to the girl, shaking her head.

"No. I feel largely the same."

Elsword pouted at that, "Not even a little different? I mean, I felt better almost immediately."

"Same," Elesis agreed. She sighed, leaning back in her chair with a stretch of her arms, "Physically and mentally."

"No noticeable change," Eve reported with a shake of her head.

"Fascinating…" Vapor said, again, "Either the body is far more resistant, or this Nasod is far less human that it appears." She seemed disappointed by the discovery and dug through her pouch once more, extracting a vial with an even deeper hue of purple. "Stronger, maybe? Drink."

"I'd rather not," Eve said, pushing the offer away.

"Drink!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Eve rose from her seat, "Rose. We have important matters to attend to."

"Leaving us already? Where you two heading?" Raven asked.

"To secure an income for food."

The rest of the table looked on at Eve in surprise. She turned to Rose, "We have prize money to win."

"This early? The Proving Grounds event is past noon. It's not even midmorning, yet."

"I need help with something." Eve quickly glanced towards the little girl standing next to her, then back at Rose. The blonde picked up on this and slowly nodded.

"Right, we'll be on our way, then."

"Can I come?" Cleri chimed in, an excited gleam in her eyes.

"I'll only need Rose," Eve stated.

"You said prize money, right? You're entering a contest? Is that what happened last night?"

"Well… yes," Rose said, "But the scrap district isn't exactly a pleasant place to be… and we don't exactly have money to get you tickets..."

"Can we enter as part of your 'crew'?" Cleri giggled at the sound of that.

"I… don't think there's a limitation on that, now that you mention it. But, again, it's not a pleasant place. We got thieves, cut-throats-"

"I can come along," Elesis volunteered, "The emissary needs protecting, and I think it's my turn to watch over her."

"But you're hurt," Rose argued.

The Blazing Heart waved it off. "I'm not the type to sit still and do nothing all day. And I always feel like I'm one step away from accidentally breaking something in these rich-people environments."

"You could also just say you're bored," the blonde sighed.

* * *

Eve stared down the target dummy that stood several meters down range from her position. She exhaled slowly, watching the ironsights of the double-barreled revolver rise and fall as she pointed it at the monkey face carved on the wooden log. El flowed to her hands and into the two chambers of the weapon. She squeezed the trigger, and two energy bullets exited the barrel, one after another, in quick succession.

The first round hit the log but was nowhere near the face. The second bullet completely missed, flying high and above the intended target before burrowing itself into the angled concrete ceiling.

She fired again, achieving the same result.

She tightened her grip and fired. This time with both shots grazed the edges of the dummy, but neither hitting center mass.

"Your shots are… getting better. But they're still really inconsistent," Rose commented. She leaned against the cage bars that separated her from Eve, watching the Nasod try to readjust her stance to the proper form Rose had shown her earlier.

Cleri stood next to her, box in one hand and Moby cradled in another. Remy floated beside her mistress, projecting a 3d model of her bullet trajectory that encompassed the narrow firing range.

"Accuracy: below standard. Participation in the Proving Grounds not suggested-not without drone assistance at least."

"You're not allowed to participate, even if I let you," Eve said to Remy.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Remy inquired.

"I don't know… Moby?"

The black drone didn't answer but Eve knew he was listening.

"That signal you detected when we first entered Sander, have you finished decrypting it?"

"...No," Moby chirped.

"Remy, you can assist Moby in decrypting the signal. Although it serves little purpose now, I am curious as to what it could be broadcasting."

The white drone looked at the black one. Neither of them said anything to each other before the white drone turned back to her mistress. "Understood."

Elesis stood watch at the entrance of the firing range, sipping a purple vial that Doctor Vapor had provided her before they left. She was observing Eve closely for the first time in a while.

"So… what's the deal with her not being able to hit anything again? I didn't quite get the… thing with the… code," Elesis asked.

Rose sighed, puffing at her fringes as she tried to simplify the explanation even further.

"The thing that helps her aim isn't working anymore. Eve has to learn how to use weapons without it now."

Cleri tapped Moby quietly on the head, and the black drone whirred, winking in a digital clock displaying the time to be just after noon.

"We have about half an hour until the event starts," the emissary reminded the others, "Do… you think you're ready, Eve?"

"The recoil in this firearm is unwieldy," Eve responded with a grumble that only mirrored a fraction of the frustration building within her.

"Just keep your shots slow and steady," Rose instructed, "Everytime you pull the trigger, you should stop and realign your weapon."

"I doubt my opponents would let me have that luxury. If my assisted targeting programs were available, I'd at least be able to hit the first shot."

"Well, it's not working now. So you're going to have to make do with actually learning how to aim," Rose said, "I think not being completely dependent on your programming is a good thing."

"What makes you think that?"

"It lets you experience stuff in ways you otherwise couldn't."

"There's no better teacher than experience," Elesis agreed.

Cleri nodded. "Rose and Elesis are right, Eve. Not having your targeting system isn't all bad. You should look at the positives!"

"It also puts me at a significant disadvantage against the other contestants since I must refamiliarize myself with my surroundings."

"True…" Rose mumbled.

"Then it's not a good thing," Eve said, verbally slapping the reality back into each of the girl's faces.

They all fell silent after that. Eve flicked her hair over her shoulder before resuming her target practice.

"It's certainly not going to make winning the prize money easier," Eve mumbled, firing another shot that completely missed the target.

"You still have your other goal to fall back to," Rose whispered through the metal bars that separated them.

The Nasod shrugged, "It's secondary, at this point."

"Aw, don't be like that, Eve. You can at least hope for the best."

"The truth of the matter is I'm grasping at straws in my situation. Elesis said finding work around here is like slave labor for what little coin they offered. You all may have a place to stay but you also need to eat. I _want_ to fix my problem. But you _need_ food. That's something I can at least help with."

The three women looked at each other. A grateful smile appeared on Elesis's face. "You'll get used to that side of her," the redhead sighed, "She means well. It's just hard to tell when she does everything with such a serious face."

"Regardless," Cleri said, "We'll be rooting for you from the stands, Eve. And… even though it doesn't mean much to you, I hope you do find someone that can help you, too."

Eve never took her eyes off the target. She held her breath, holding the gun as steadily as possible before firing. The bullet found its mark just below the monkey carving, and the second follow up shot struck home, right between the carving's eyes.

The rest of the room broke out in a small cheer as Eve breathed a much needed sigh of relief. She was getting the hang of it. She just had to hold the weapon as steady as she could when firing. It made her overall stance a lot more rigid but if she were ever to hit her mark, she'd have to make that sacrifice.

"So what can we expect in this event anyways? It's a last-man-standing kind of scenario, right?" Elesis asked Rose.

"Yes. It's a two-part exhibition. Her drones aren't allowed to participate, however, since that's essentially entering three separate machines…"

"So she has to go it alone," Cleri muttered, a hint of worry in her voice.

"It's a stupid rule, but Eve said she was fine with it. The first part of the event consists of the last-man-standing segment. Eve and I worked out that all she needs to do is bide her time until there are only a few opponents left. After all other opponents are eliminated, it then moves to the second: a one-on-one showdown with the champion."

"But what if the champion doesn't make it past the first part?" Cleri asked.

"He actually doesn't participate until part two," Rose answered, "The guy we spoke to said that the first part is to save time and weed out the 'inferior' machines in a timely fashion. The second part is the real showdown that investors will be paying most attention to."

"Investors…?"

"Yeah. Apart from the prize money, winners also get huge brownie points with the Sander Elite. Stuff like commissions for weapons designs for their military, merchandising, and other stuff like that."

"Which is why _I'm_ going to reclaim my spot as top engineer," a deep male voice echoed in the hollow concrete room they were in. They turned to the doorway where a man almost too muscular to fit through the door frame, stood.

His height stood imposing on the doorway, enough to cause Elesis to jump back and subconsciously reach for her weapon.

The engineer saw this and sneered at the redhead.

"Good afternoon, ladies… Eve," Ralek said as he leaned against the frame, peeling at an apple with a pocket knife, "I see the little Nasod found itself an owner. Isn't that cute?"

Eve ignored him. Her attention was glued to the target dummy in front of her.

"Lost your ability to talk now? I'm talking to you, Nasod!"

"Can I help you, sir?" Elesis asked, setting herself in front of the man.

"Was just scouting out the competition. Wanted to see what my mech would be up against. Had nothing to worry about. _Had_ , at least. That is until I found Eve here," he poked his head back into the large hallway, glancing over the sign hung at their door, "Nemesis, huh? When I first read that name, I thought I was in for something more sinister. Not some dinky little Nasod girl. But I know better. Everyone else thinks the 'Nemesis' is going to be a pushover. They're already placing bets on who's going to be the first to be eliminated, and they reckon it's gonna be Rose and her little machine."

"She's not going to be that easily taken out," Rose said, "So you can tell your friends to wait and see just how wrong they are."

Ralek shook his head. "They ain't my friends." He cut himself a slice of the fruit and shoveled it messily into his mouth, "They don't know what I know. I've seen what that Nasod is capable of. I've heard your plan. Don't think I'm going to let you or Eve get away that easily. It's going to be my first target."

"You will address Eve directly," Cleri squeaked in an attempt to sound intimidating.

"I'll address the Nasod's owner, thank you very much," Ralek growled back before turning to Rose, "Don't worry. After I snip its head of its shoulders, I'll be gentle when handling its memory core. And once I'm done downloading all the files I need, I'll be sure to give it back to you." He squeezed the remaining half of his apple, crushing it in his palm before dropping the crumpled remains at Elesis's feet.

"Take care, ladies," Ralek said, turning to leave, "I'll see you afterwards at the champion's booth. Tell them Ralek sent for you."

"What a gentleman," Elesis spat, still clutching at her weapon.

"Yeah. A real charmer," Rose said, rolling her eyes, "We're gonna kick his ass, right Eve?"

Though she said nothing, Rose noted the slight tremble in the Nasod's arms as she gripped the revolver. The queen dug into her stance once more, training the iron sights just below the monkey's head. She held her breath, waiting for the trembling to stop, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Eve stepped through a wide doorway that led into a large concrete tunnel entrance. At the far end was a large iron gate. Bright sunlight filtered in through the bars and was accompanied by the soft rumble of a restless crowd. She was alone. Remy had summoned her explosive whip for her and prepared her electron canons, but without either of her drones, she didn't have access to spears. It was strange not having her two drones at her side, especially in a place she was unfamiliar with.

At least they had something to do. She hoped giving Remy and Moby a joint task would at least make them communicate with one another. She'd have to check on their progress after the battle.

She adjusted her dress, smoothing out the adhesive paper plastered on her belly. The number 19 was printed in large black font. Strapped to her hip was the revolver and her explosive whip rolled into a coil.

"Testing. Eve, can you still hear me?" Rose's voice crackled in the Nasod's head, "Er… wait... I guess I won't know until I see you, huh?"

The transmission jack that Rose provided only functioned as a receiver and couldn't relay anything from Eve's end. The tiny device had been inserted into one of the dozen ports in Eve's ear cones and worked surprisingly well, despite its crude design.

"Well, once you step out-assuming you can still hear me-look towards the north for a skybox and wave at it. That's where I am, along with the rest of the other challengers," Rose breathed a heavy sigh into the mic as she grumbled something incoherent regarding the state of the place, "Not sure whether I prefer being in here or out on the dusty bleachers at this point."

"Can she hear us?" Cleri's voice was barely audible in the transmission.

"I can't really tell yet. We have to wait-"

"Hi, Eve! Good luck! We're rooting for you!"

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! The real test of technological innovation! The Proving Grounds! Battle! Exhibition!"_

The rumble of the crowd escalated into a roar of cheers as the gates before Eve lurched and groaned slowly upwards.

"Alright! That's your cue. Remember, northern skybox. Gimme a wave so I know you can hear me," Rose instructed.

The queen stepped into the ring and found herself quickly overwhelmed by the sight before her. She was in a large, enclosed space with stone walls that stood nearly three-stories-high. A steel cage with transparent paneling hung over the battleground like an enormous lid, allowing the observers to view the carnage within. The patrons seated on the bleachers around the ring easily numbered close to ten thousand. Like a massive flock of vultures, the crowd cheered and hooted at the combatants taking the stage.

She scanned the bleachers, turning her attention to the northern wall, and found a narrow strip of enclosed concrete. No doubt this was where the challengers controlled their machines. She waved at the box as instructed, getting a sigh of relief from Rose.

"Alright, good. Elesis and Cleri are up here with me, too. If you'd notice, there's this big bubble of protective material above you. That's to deflect most kinds of projectiles that fly towards the audience. I've read the rules that, even with the protective screen, we are not supposed to shoot at them. If it's not an accident, you get one warning and one warning only before being disqualified. That also marks the out of bounds area. Touching that or any part of the ring's wall surrounding the arena means you're out of the match. Understood? Give me a thumbs up if you heard that."

The Nasod did so.

Eve was thankful for the enclosure. Apart from the frothing masses of enthusiasts, she could clearly see the thick cloud of smog in the air above them. She didn't have a filtration mask with her, and even with the air pumps lining the edges of the Proving Grounds, much of the district's pollution managed to float its way into the colosseum.

" _Twenty contestants enter the ring and only one can survive! All booths have closed and your bets are_ FINAL _. Strap yourselves in, folks, because you are about to bear witness to this year's latest in weaponized technology!_

" _Starting at number one..."_

The MC recited his scripted explanation of each contestant and their machines in numerical order. It was going to be a while before they introduced her, seeing as she was second to the last on the list. This gave Eve ample time to scope out the battlefield.

Much of the actual arena was a mess from smaller league battles that were held earlier that day. The corpses of failed Nasod designs lay strewn about the oil-stained dirt. Machines ranging in sizes no larger than Moby and Remy to machines that could easily serve as a front line tanks, all lay motionless among the prebuilt obstacles that made up the combat area.

The field had two levels separated by the same transparent material that protected the crowd from the battle below. Towering stone pillars acted as support columns, suspending the square-shaped upper level and access between the two was available in four wide ramps at the corners of the square platform.

The other gates that lined the arena appeared to be open and, from where Eve was standing, she could see only half of her opponents. Twenty in total, including Eve. Some didn't stand out in terms of design, but other combatants looked similar to the tech the Nasod King had designed, including an augmented Nasod Type-W9 unit who was retrofitted with ranged weaponry where their blades normally were. Modifications were made to the machine's appearance more out of flare than utility, it seemed, as the Type-W9 donned a cowboy hat, stirrups, and its ranged weapons were painted to look like revolvers. The number 5 had been slapped on this machine's chest.

Another adversary of note included an old Nasod Driller. This one bore the number 13 and was easily left the biggest impression with the crowd. Once used for civilian excavation projects, this one was modified to support an even larger, more wicked-looking drill. Its torso and fuel pack were reinforced with extra layers of plating, and it was given an upgraded tread system for faster movement along the battlefield. It was given a bright red coat of paint and a detailed flame decal on its altered drill.

Perhaps the most eye-catching to Eve, in terms of threat, was a large six legged mechanical scorpion carrying the number 2. Its claws were built with flame throwers and a laser sight that looked all too familiar. The scales were tapered steel that appeared too heavy for any normal machine to carry, yet its six powerful legs hissed and adjusted easily despite its large body. The large stinger mounted on its back was a sharpened blade linked with an equally deadly cannon.

"That's Ralek's machine," Rose said, her voice drowned somewhat by the sounds of other challengers standing next to her, "Everyone else's machines seem to operate by voice command, but his seems to be solely operated by manual controls. Knowing him, he's probably going to focus solely on you."

Just as she said that, the mecha-scorpion turned itself towards Eve. Its sights were clearly set on the little Nasod standing on the far end of the field.

" _And on to number 19! An unexpected beauty, don't you think? No, dear viewers, you have not accidentally stumbled into a fashion show! Unlike other combat frames that are usually bulkier than civilian machines, its design defies simple logic, seemingly prioritizing appearance over functionality! Be warned: looks can be deceiving, and this little Nasod is no exception! 'Team Rose' refused to divulge any of her abilities! A sign of confidence or an overestimation of their own abilities? Nonetheless, she is currently the biggest wild card in this arena! Let's hear it for Team Rose's 'Nemesis'!"_

The crowd's cheering seemed to hush as Eve was introduced. She crossed her arms, trying not to appear too dejected by the audience's less-than-enthusiastic response.

" _And our last entrant: number 20! Registered just earlier today, this machine…"_

"Ah, don't worry about what everyone else thinks," Rose's voice crackled, "Just stay focused. You're here to win the money, not the crowd. And when it's all said and done, you'll meet the champ, and you'll be all fixed up."

"Kick their asses, Eve!" Elesis could be heard shouting in the background.

"Remember: keep your head down and stay out of fights. Only engage when you absolutely have to and pick off stragglers towards the end. Don't touch the boundaries either because that's an immediate disqualification. Do all of that, and you'll make it to the end, no problem," Rose explained.

"Easier said than done," Eve sighed, eyes trained on the mechanical scorpion in the distance. It hadn't taken its focus off Eve since she entered the ring. If anything, she'd be running from that monstrosity for the majority of the battle. The flood lights surrounding the stadium flash red. The volume of the crowd rose to a deafening roar.

" _...Combatants! Are you ready?!"_

The lights shifted to yellow. Eve scanned the rest of the battlefield, taking a mental note of the other's positions. Without her targeting system, it was difficult to focus on the grey metal against the earthly colored surroundings. Out of all of them, the scorpion seemed to be the only one interested in Eve.

" _Let the Proving Grounds battle… begin!"_

The lights flashed green followed by a loud blaring horn.

Almost immediately after the horn sounded, the mecha-scorpion was struck in its side by a powerful slug round that ricocheted off its thick armor, leaving a deep dent at the impact point. The round flew upwards, making contact with the protective lid. An incredible surge of electricity coursed through the web-like structure, vaporizing the solid metal round in an instant.

The rest of the arena broke out in an all-out war; combatants quickly homed in on their intended targets. The clash of metal and the loud crack of gunfire that accompanied the fever-pitched cheer of the crowd overwhelmed Eve's senses. Projectiles, both physical and energy, zipped across the field as the more ranged-oriented units fought for a dominant high-ground position.

Eve's eyes widened at the sight as the doors behind her began to shut. The gates radiated the same electrical energy and, as the fighting began around her, one of the other smaller Nasod combatants was flung towards the wall. Much like the slug round that hit the ceiling, the electrical barrier liquified half of the machine before it managed to pull itself free and collapsing unmoving just a few inches away from the wall.

"That… doesn't look good," Rose said, the sounds of another team cheering over their minor victory could be heard.

"No. It doesn't," Eve said to herself. Ralek's mech turned to its assailant: the Nasod Driller, who had withdrawn its hidden shoulder mounted weapon and was engaging the scorpion in close range. Thankful for the distraction, Eve took this opportunity to slink out of sight of Ralek's mech before it noticed that she was gone.

Eve sprinted to the nearest spot of cover she could find and nearly ran headlong into a crossfire between two other combatants. Bullets zipped past her, causing her to slide to a stop as a small, six-wheeled Nasod charged towards her.

Without her drones functioning as extra pairs of eyes, her reaction came far later than she would have liked, and she leaped out of the way, rolling on the ground just as the machine charged past her. This gave Eve ample time to reach the nearest pile of scrap metal, all the while she kept an eye on her recent close encounter.

The attacker was a cylindrical shaped Nasod that stood no higher than Eve's waist. Thankfully, she wasn't its intended target as it continued past her towards another target. Its curved side plating deflected oncoming small arms fire as it drew closer towards its assailant: an agile, four-legged sentry. The cylindrical armor opened as several rows of spinning blades whirred to life.

The sentry moved to evade, leaping up against one of the stone columns that supported the central platform before firing downward on its weaker top armor.

Up in the higher platform, the large Nasod driller and the scorpion continued to duel one another. Jets of flame shot out from the scorpion's claws, functioning more as a spectacle for the crowd than anything else as the javelin-like stinger punched through the armored hull in an attempt to hit something vital.

Unlike the upper level, the ground level under the transparent suspended platform looked largely uncontested save for a few smaller fights. With most of the crowd's attention resting on the top platform and outer edges of the ring, hiding under and in the center would be her best bet in surviving to the end. She just had to cut through a spot of open ground to reach it.

Eve peeked out of cover, doing her best to keep tabs on any and all movement without the assistance of her visual programs. Through the massive influx of visual information, Eve caught the tiny glint of a reflective lens at the corner of her eye.

The silver-haired Nasod ducked just as the metal slug whizzed by her head. A clean white smoke trail was left in its wake.

"One's watching you. From the high perch to the north-northwest. At the corner of the upper platform," Rose reported.

Eve followed Rose's directions, quickly glancing at the general direction and pulling back just in time as another round flew past. She used this time to look once more, getting a precise bead on him before drawing her revolver.

It was a cannon guard from King Nasod's blueprints. Were all of the combatants simply stolen tech from her destroyed foundries? From the looks of it, much of its design was largely the same with the exception of the high-powered gauss rifle mounted on its shoulder. Eve evaded another shot and quickly rotated to the other side of her cover. Eve popped out, snapping a shot at her opponent before it had a chance to reacquire her. The two rounds grazed past the intended target, and she quickly hid once more, just as he retaliated with a much more precisely aimed shot.

"Breathe. Take your time," Rose coached her.

"As if I have time to," Eve grunted, letting the El in her body top off the revolver chambers. Only a fraction of a second later and she would've been hit for sure. Still, she considered Rose's words and did a quick calculation in her head. There was a brief but definite pause between the cannoneer's shots. His reload was quick but it still gave her a window. She just had to force it.

Something rolled over the pile of metal she took cover in, coming to a stop at her legs. It was a small, fist-sized metal ball.

A grenade!

Eve scrambled out of cover, diving to the other side just as the explosive detonated. With no chance to catch her breath, she quickly rolled to her feet, narrowly avoiding a shot trained at her head. Instinct told her to run for cover. But she knew this may be her best window. She entered the proper firing stance, clasping the revolver with both hands and lining the iron sights at the target. She breathed, remembering the compensation she had to make at the firing range and aimed just below the cannoneer's head.

She fired, the El round struck flush with the cannoneer's shoulder just as it returned fire. The cannoneer missed. Barely. The shot that would have surely struck her square in the head only left a linear burn across the side of her face.

Sparks flew from the cannoneer's shoulder. Its mounted gauss rifle powered down, forcing it to retreat into the upper platform. She wasn't able to finish him off, but Eve quickly refocused on her initial objective. The queen made a dash for the center of the ring under the platform as the fighting continued to rage around her.

Yet, just as she drew close to the shelter of the platform, she noted the shift of shadows from the platform above. Something was shoved off the edge, and Eve slowed to a stop just as the cannoneer from earlier plummeted to the ground floor, hitting the dirt with a loud crash. Both Eve and the enemy Nasod turned their gaze to the upper platform where a single Nasod stood. Much of the assailant was shrouded against the afternoon sun. Its frame was built with the likeness of a human bearing a long flowing cloak. It turned away, giving Eve a brief glimpse of the number 20 plastered to the individual's chest. The combatant said nothing, disappearing from view and leaving the cannoneer to fend for itself against Eve.

Taking this chance, the queen advanced on the cannoneer just as it was rising to its feet. Blue energy coursed to her open palm, her electron cannon wasn't going to miss at this range.

Still a viable threat in close range, the cannoneer pounded the ground with its arms, challenging Eve to come at it. Yet as she drew closer, something in the enemy Nasod changed. Its lenses focused on Eve, its arms dropped, and it seemed… confused.

Ignoring this, Eve thrust her palm forward, firing a concentrated orb of energy directly into the cannoneer's unguarded torso.

The resulting blue cloud of dust was enough to catch the attention of a few other combatants. As the dust settled, there was nothing left of the cannoneer except for its extremities and bits and pieces of circuitry raining around Eve as she searched for the next possible threat.

"Awesome job! That leaves fourteen more. Though I think you caught the attention of a few others. I can hear the other teams talking about you now."

"That's the opposite of what I wanted to happen," Eve grunted, moving underneath the large central platform.

From there, she was largely safe from high-ground fire. From under the see-through platform, Eve watched as an intense fight between Ralek's mech and the Nasod Driller unfolded. They thrashed from one end of the platform to another, each trying to tear the other limb for limb. Flames from the scorpion's claws engulfed the upper platform, forcing the smaller Nasod combatants off stage. The driller charged through the wall of intense heat, driving its drill into the mech's reinforced face plate.

Despite the driller's durable frame, Ralek was easily able to turn nearly all engagements around to his favor. With two large claws and a stinger, there was only so much a single large drill could do to fend off retaliatory strikes.

"Eve! Incoming!" Rose shouted in Eve's head, catching the Nasod's attention just in time as she rolled out of the way from a charging shield guard. Another unit designed by King Nasod, this bulky melee-oriented unit had a large, sphere-like head fixed with multiple lenses to reduce its blindspots. Originally designed to bear a large greatshield and function in defensive frontline formations, this mobile cover instead was replaced with a much lighter barrier generator attached to its arm. Though it normally wielded a high-voltage stun baton, its arm had been completely removed and replaced by a heavy piledriver that pivoted at its shoulder joint.

The guard turned to her clumsily, its loss in balance attributed to its weaponry. It hid its exposed back before Eve could regain her footing and swung the large spiked arm around, forcing the queen to remain on the defensive. She ducked its sweeps and was forced to sidestep its downward strikes. A thundering clang of metal against stone followed after each heavy swing that nearly caught Eve under its weight.

The relentless attacks forced Eve into a pattern of movement that the guard capitalized on. Sensing the intention, Eve caught the slight shift in momentum and disengaged completely just as the guard thrusted the large spike at her. She leaped back just far enough for the spiked to fall short; its tip nearly striking her in the chest. Still on the defensive, the queen spun out of the way just as the pile driver activated, ending in a loud bang. The pointed tip barely missed her, brushing by her ribcage and digging a shallow wound just under her chest.

Using this opening, she flung a disc of energy at the guard. Her opponent raised its energy shield, the barrier absorbing the blast as if it were nothing. Despite their close quarters engagement, however, the guard seemed to stop moving completely. As the dust settled from the blast, Eve saw the guard was looking straight at her, its head tilted curiously as it got a better look.

Taking this pause as her window of attack, she kicked the guard back, causing it to stumble to the ground. With her added space, Eve swapped to her whip, whirling the woven nasod steel around her before snapping it at the guard with a loud crack that ended with a small explosion at the tip.

It was much harder to wield the whip without her assisted targeting program guiding her movements, and she wielded the weapon purely off memory at this point. She flicked her wrist, guiding the rope into another crack that traveled just a little too far to the left. Eve adjusted, bringing it around once more and aimed for the guards leg. The physical weapon phased through the energy barrier like nothing, successfully wrapping around its leg. Eve pulled, snagging the whip tighter around its leg before she activated the explosive weave.

It was as if the guard's leg had been sawed off with how cleanly the whip tore through the reinforced alloy. With only one leg to stand on, the guard collapsed to its knee. Yet despite all this, even with the mistakes Eve made in her attacks that left her open for a counter, the guard continued to step back and away from her, its shield raised and its head lowered as it stayed completely on the defensive.

"You got it on the ropes! Finish it off!" Rose shouted excitedly.

All the while, someone else could be heard screaming at his other teammate. "I don't know what's going on! It's not listening to my inputs!"

With a well guided stroke, the weapon wrapped itself around the guard's shield arm, detonating the explosives again to sever the limb at its elbow. With the shield separated and no longer powered, Eve flung an energy disk at the guard who, surprisingly, refused to do anything to fight back.

The blue electron disk struck the guard's shoulder, blowing off its piledriver weapon and knocking it to the ground. With no weapon or shield to use, all the guard could do was stare up at Eve as she stood over him. It looked at her strangely. Almost as if it was curious, despite the predicament it was in.

It was like the cannoneer.

The blue light faded from her palm as she stared down at the guard, still wary for any tricks it may have up its sleeve.

"Why do you look at me so?" she asked, getting not a word of response from the guard who merely continued to stare up at her. With no limbs to use, it couldn't gesture as freely. If it had the ability to speak, it must have been removed long ago.

Wordlessly, the guard dipped its head, as low as it could given the lopsided way it lay helplessly. It held itself in that position, long enough for Eve to realize what it was doing.

It was bowing.

"What…" Eve whispered, taking a step back, "Why are you-"

A shot rang out, cutting Eve off as an energy bullet pierced straight through the guard unit's head. Its last moment in life reduced to a tiny flicker of electricity from the open wound on the side of its head.

Whipping her attention around to the source, Eve saw the modified W-9 with the number 5 taped onto its chest, standing a fair distance away. A single smoking barrel of its energy pistol remained pointed at the downed guard. The cowboy-themed Nasod spun the retrofitted pistol with all the unnecessary flare a gunslinger would add before holding the weapon at its hip. With its free hand, it pulled its hat over one of its lenses, focusing the other on Eve as it slowly began circling around her.

" _It looks like Team All Stars' Lawbringer has found its next victim! Nemesis has been lucky so far, but can it even hold a candle to Number 5's advanced targeting system?"_

Her eyes quickly darted back to the guard, whose lifeless body slumped at her feet. She stepped around it, moving around and away from the W-9. From this range, Eve had to use her revolver. Her whip was completely useless, and her electron cannon was far too unreliable with its projectile speed to warrant its use.

Closing the distance was an option, but judging at how well it placed its shot only moments ago, Eve wasn't willing to test the machine's accuracy on a moving target.

As if reading Eve's mind, Number 5 stopped in its tracks and turned fully to the queen. It spun the pistol and fired from the hip just as the queen reached for the revolver behind her. The bullet grazed her hip, threading between her fingers and struck her weapon as she was drawing it. The revolver clattered to the ground several meters away.

" _Oh! And just like that, Nemesis is easily disarmed! Lawbringer's engineering team has clearly outdone themselves in ensuring speed and accuracy in neutralizing opposition!"_

With no time to think, Eve rolled backwards, dodging a bullet that whizzed past her chest. Her hand found the energy barrier she severed from the guard and she quickly activated it, rolling to a crouched position as the protective field was generated in time to absorb the next volley of rounds.

The W-9 fired again and again, slowly advancing on her as she fed more and more of her El into the energy barrier to keep it alive. She stumbled and backed away in an attempt to reach the revolver on the ground. The shield flashed a bright white with each energy bullet it absorbed and Eve could feel the energy strain on her El reserves. Once within arm's reach of her weapon, however, her opponent simply shot at the revolver, knocking it even further away.

It was toying with her. This only became readily apparent when the W-9 stopped shooting altogether. A pole extended upward from its back. At the top was a cylindrical probe that emitted a green circular ring of light that scanned the entire lower floor from top to bottom. This only took a second, and just as soon as the probe appeared, it retracted itself, and the W-9 was mobile once more.

" _This is it folks, Lawbringer's secret weapon! Team All Stars had boasted this to be the most advanced form of target acquisition yet. Let this be the demonstration that would one day be used to safeguard our beautiful city streets!"_

It spun the pistol in its hand and adjusted the rim of its hat before pointing the weapon upward.

It only took a fraction of a second for Eve to realize what it was doing. She raised the shield higher, just as it fired a shot that ricocheted off the transparent platform above and came down on her, grazing past the top of her head as the bullet flew over the shield.

Number 5 changed angles once again, firing at the stone pillar to her right and prompting Eve to block a shot that almost caught her on the side.

Again and again, it changed angles on her, forcing her to spin the waning shield from one side to the other. The W-9 was doing it for show at this point.

For each bullet she absorbed, Eve carefully made her way back towards her own weapon. But every time she drew close, number 5 simply shot the revolver further away.

Eventually, it began kicking it up a notch. The bullets that ricocheted off the walls were bouncing off a second time, coming in at wider, more extreme angles. All the while, the enemy spun the pistol with a flourish before every new firing line. Faster and faster, it seemed to dance until Eve couldn't keep up with the sheer volume of incoming energy bullets.

Sharp, agonizing heat shot through her arm as the first round found its mark. She instinctively turned the shield towards the direction but was caught from behind as another bullet pierced through her leg from high above.

She fell to the ground, hissing as her pain inhibitors refused to activate. Her focus was no longer on the shield, and the barrier dissipated.

Not finished with its show, number 5 blasted the generator in Eve's hand to pieces, leaving the queen absolutely helpless.

The crowd went wild at the spectacular light show, and the slow chant of Lawbringer's name began. It slowly made its way towards Eve, the chant from the crowd grew louder as she tried to drag herself away from the unit. She tried to move her damaged arm and leg but the pain kept her from doing so. She had never experienced wounds this excruciating before, where every move her body made only seemed to make it worse.

She stared up at the modified W-9 unit as it drew closer, spinning its gun once more before pointing it at Eve's head. It stomped on her damaged thigh, getting a small gasp of pain from Eve as she was effectively pinned in place.

In her head, Eve could hear Rose. She could hear her screaming in the mic as she called for a ceasefire on her machine. She was calling for a formal surrender.

But from the sounds of laughter in the skybox… they weren't going to listen.

Eve was out of options. Without her drones to assist her, she was an ineffective fighter. She couldn't do this alone. Not as she was...

There was _one_ option...

Like an itch in the back of her mind, she could feel the corrupted code surface within her. It knew she was looking for it. It knew it was needed once more.

No! She couldn't! Her condition was bad enough as it was! If she utilized Full Generate Mode now, there would be no telling how severe the after-effects would be. Especially since she still had other contestants to deal with afterwards.

But it was either now or never. And as the W-9 stood over her, she knew her window was closing.

The code seemed to surge inside of her. Nearly forcing itself out.

But she was scared.

She didn't want that. She couldn't.

Her focus was torn away as number 5 suddenly grabbed her by her long silver hair. Eve opened her mouth in a silent cry while the Lawbringer eyed its quarry's facial features. Eve squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away as the crowd demanded a fitting execution.

" _And with that, we have another elimination! Wow! What a machine! Don't be disheartened, Team Rose! There's always next year!"_

Death never came for Eve, however. Just as quickly as she was picked up, she felt the pull on her scalp loosen, and she was unexpectedly let go. Eve hit the ground with a dull thud. Confused, she turned her gaze to her adversary while clutching at the roots of her hair.

Its laser pistol was no longer pointed at her head and was, instead, slowly being lowered in an unforeseen display of mercy.

"W-whatever you did, it's working!" Rose said.

"Hey!" the muffled shouts of another team was heard on Rose's side, "What the hell is it doing?"

"I-I don't know! I've told it to finish 19 off! But Lawbringer's ceased up for some reason!"

Eve hadn't done anything. She hadn't unleashed the corrupted code, nor did she fight back in any way.

Was the Lawbringer acting on its own?

"Run the manual override!"

The dark lenses underneath the wide-brim hat seemed to empty for a brief moment, only to be replaced by an ominous bright red glow.

It turned to the pistol gripped in its right arm, as if willing it not to move. Yet its owner's override forced the barrel back on its intended target. The red eyes focused in on Eve's. The shaky grip on its weapon steadied, and all sense of resistance faded. With nothing stopping the Lawbringer from carrying out its orders, it pressed the barrel against the blue gem on Eve's head and pulled the trigger.

A single gunshot.

Half of the Proving Grounds patrons that had been watching duel had fallen silent. Unable to see the exact outcome under the giant mech battle on the second floor, many only heard the shot whilst few could just barely put the pieces together.

Eve was still alive.

The W-9 still stood over the silver-haired Nasod, but the pistol as well as the entirety of its forearm had been severed.

The missing limb in question landed a few meters away, sparks and smoke emanating from the unpowered limb. Before Eve could even process what was happening, a second round ripped through Number 5's head, causing it to topple over, its glowing red eyes extinguishing as it slumped motionless on the ground.

Eve whipped her head towards a single, cloaked humanoid figure standing a fair distance away, a smoking double barreled revolver in its hands. It holstered its weapon and strode over to the downed queen just as the Nasod Driller from the floor above them was flung off the stage behind the figure in a fiery ball of scrap.

The resulting explosion whipped at the savior's cloak, revealing a partially torn "20" plastered on its dark leather outfit. Her eyes travelled upwards and, to her horror, she noted the individual's face was hidden behind a gasmask.

It was the stalker. The thief. The same one that followed her the night prior. They were a Nasod. That explained why she ran into it in the scrap district.

It moved in on her and she tried to escape, pushing past the surge of pain as she attempted to crawl away.

It thrust its hand at her and she shielded herself, hand charging with energy to retaliate.

Yet nothing happened.

Tentatively she glanced up at her assailant, but instead found them simply standing over her… a hand extended to assist her.

" _...But let's not celebrate just yet. There are still three contestants remaining! And in yet another surprising twist of fate, there appears to be a truce! After Team Ralek's heart-stopping show of absolute dominance against Number 13, I'd be shaking in my boots, too, if I had to face that monster alone! Will the Phantom's temporary alliance with the underdog Nemesis be enough to stand up against such raw power?"_

A truce? Number 20 was asking for a truce? Eve stared at the cloaked Nasod's hand extended towards her. She then looked at the enormous mechanical scorpion still relishing in the glory of its most recent take down. From where she lay, she noticed the underside of its armor, was largely non-existent. Piercing through the scorpion's topside plating with her current weapon load out would be an unrealistic expectation. Though well-aimed shots to the small gaps at the machine's joints could prove useful, with her ability to aim, it was a highly unlikely scenario.

She looked to the extended hand once more. Number 20 seemed to be a decent shot- much better than her, at least.

They were the last three.

Eve had made it this far. She was much worse for wear than she had initially anticipated, and given her situation, she was incredibly fortunate to even make it in the top three. Siding with the other Nasod would prove beneficial for the moment, though it was what would happen afterwards that concerned her. If and when they successfully take down Ralek's machine, Number 20 would undoubtedly turn against her. She would be in no condition to fight.

Not unless she used Full Generate Mode.

She had almost faced death because of her stubbornness. With how far she's come, she doubted she'd be given another second chance. She had to. Especially against Ralek.

Eve could feel the corrupted code lurking in the back of her mind; waiting expectantly for its summons. It knew she needed it. But she wasn't going to give it the chance it expects.

She'll use Full Generate Mode. But only when it was absolutely necessary. If she can eliminate both of her opponents in one fell swoop, then she can quickly disable the enhancement before the corruption could develop further.

Eve batted the hand away, opting to stand on her own and giving the other Nasod a wary look as she painfully rose to her feet. As if completely understanding her, the so-called Phantom quietly nodded.

The wound on Eve's thigh made it excruciating to move, but it wasn't impossible. Given enough time to push through the pain, she was capable of at least hobbling around to a certain degree.

"The underside of the machine," Eve hissed as she slowly limped her way towards one of the wide ramps leading to the second level, "That's the only chance we have in dismantling it."

A loud shattering sound filled the arena. Eve turned to see that the mecha-scorpion had forced its way through the reinforced platform, tearing a hole on the transparent surface and landing between the two with a ground-shaking crash. Dust billowed around the scorpion and Eve briefly caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes as the machine whipped its metallic tail in a wide arc around it.

It completely caught number 19 off guard, sending the Nasod flying from the impact. Fortunately for Eve, she was able to duck under the tail and return fire with an electron disk flung into the cloud of dust. the resulting explosion cast a brief silhouette of the scorpion turning to the source of fire, and its shadow faded just as it leapt towards her. With claws bared and ready to strike, Eve narrowly leapt out of the way from the first downward strike. Her weight shifted to her damaged leg, and a surge of pain shot through her whole body, causing her limb to buckle under her own weight. Unable to dodge, she raised an arm defensively as the second claw slammed into her, knocking her off and sending her on a tumble.

Eve quickly regained her footing. Landing on her good leg, she slid to a stop and returned fire with another electron disk.

Using its claws as a shield, the mecha-scorpion plowed through the explosive projectile effortlessly before opening its arms for a pincer attack from either side.

A bullet struck one of its six leg joints, and the scorpion's charge was rapidly grounded, giving Eve just enough time to hobble out of its way as half its body drove itself into the dirt.

"You annoying little-" Ralek's voice could be heard through the scorpions speaker system while the machine turned towards Number 20. Smoking revolver still in hand, the Nasod was already closing in on Ralek's machine. The mecha-scorpion would have none of it, however, as its stinger whipped around towards the Phantom. It fired a continuous beam of red energy that the smaller, more agile Nasod was just barely able to weave around.

Taking this opportunity while it was distracted, Eve threw another charged disk at the scorpion. The blast left a deep dent on the machine's side and pulled the attention back to her briefly. Eve dove behind a pile of scrap just as the laser sliced at her, grazing just past the fringes of her hair and cutting straight through some of the thinner metal on the pile she hid behind.

Frustrated with having to fight two fronts, the scorpion pulled itself free from the ground and turned its weapons back to Number 20, who expertly dodged and rolled over and around the beam. Black lines of scorched earth were left in its wake, and pieces of the Phantom's cloak were burned away for every near miss. The tail lunged forward, smashing its pointed tip into the ground as the Phantom leapt over it and onto the scorpion's back.

Unable to effectively reach its rider with its claws, the scorpion bucked around wildly as Number 20 tried to grab a firm hold of its plating. It found a gap in the scorpion's armor and pulled. The sound of straining metal was enough to send the scorpion in a panic. Its tail withdrew, aiming for Number 20's back, but a well aimed crack of Eve's explosive whip severed the sharpened tip.

It turned to the whip-bearing Nasod as she wound up for another swing. The scorpion snapped its claws at her, and tiny flames at the claws' joints flickered to life. Jets of fire poured out of its claws, engulfing the immediate area in flame and forcing Eve to retreat from the wall of inferno.

The sound of snapping metal forced it to stop, however, as the Phantom's inexplicable amount of strength was able to peel away some of the plating damaged by Eve's electron cannon. Ralek's machine quickly returned to bucking about before it ultimately skittered away from Eve. It continued to run far and away from her towards a distant column with the Phantom still trying to pull more of its armor apart. It was then that she realized what the scorpion was trying to do. It was planning to crush Number 20 against the column.

"Look out!" Eve yelled. She drew her revolver, snapping two shots at the machine that, surprisingly, found its mark. The energy bullets struck a vital gear within the exposed side of the machine, causing the gears in its legs to seize up. The scorpion's charge came to an abrupt halt which, ironically, resulted in Number 20 flying headlong against the hard surface anyways. There was a painful thud followed by the Phantom falling limp on the ground before the scorpion.

Clearly not what she intended to happen, Eve's situation was only made worse when the sound of grinding gears caused the mecha-scorpion to lurch back to life. Despite the damage being done to its gears, Ralek's machine was still able to move, albeit at a slower, jagged fashion.

"I must say… you have definitely made me work for this victory. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering what you are," Ralek said through the scorpion's speaker box, "Though I've spent years learning, creating, inventing… it was a real slap to the face losing everything I've worked for to some nobody with a machine I would have never been able to create. Could you imagine how it must have felt a second time when you just stroll into my shop asking for help? Could you imagine my anger knowing that everything I've worked for is but a fraction compared to what you hold in your head…? No. You wouldn't know. You wouldn't understand. You're a machine."

It lurched closer to Eve. Its staggered steps were uneven but still much faster than Eve could ever hope to outrun at her state.

Eve raised her revolver, squeezing of shot after shot only to have each round bounce off its thick plates.

"I deserve everything in that data storage. Everything you know and all that can be accomplished with Nasod tech should be given to me. Only I can push the boundaries of technology!"

It drew ever closer. It was within electron cannon range at this point, and Eve quickly swapped to the more powerful weapon. Yet disk after disk of charged energy did little to damage the scorpion's frontal armor. She was running out of options.

She reached for her explosive whip but the scorpion lunged forward. With calculated precision, the scorpion slotted Eve's neck in between its pincers just as she tried to move away. The second claw held her arm against her body, preventing any use of weapons.

"It doesn't have to end like this, though," Ralek suggested, "We can benefit off of each other. I let you live and you personally divulge all your secrets. What do you say?"

Eve didn't answer. She could feel herself being lifted off the ground as the scorpion carried her body all the way to the rings' edge. As they drew close, Eve's hair stood on end from the amount of electricity coursing behind her. The scorpion inched her closer and the little Nasod could hear the humming of millions of volts. She could feel energy flickering between her fingers.

"Or not," Ralek continued, "Either way, I get your data storage. You just won't be alive to see me lead the scrap district to the future it rightfully deserves."

Eve refused to speak. She squirmed as she felt the pincers squeeze her neck. All the while, Ralek could be heard laughing maniacally through the speakers. "Your choice, then! I was looking forward to watching you fry anyway!"

It inched her closer to the electrified boundary. By then, Eve was close enough for her vision to fade into static. The humming grew louder, and the ringing of her audio transmitter, which was now mere moments away from exploding from the crackling air, was all she could hear.

And then it faded.

Not to black as she had imagined, but the static and the ringing inexplicably began to fade. She was moving away from the boundary. The scorpion was just as confused as she was. The crowd was going wild at this point, and Eve quickly saw why:

It was Number 20. It had Ralek's mech by its broken tail. With strength that didn't match the Nasod's size, it pulled the scorpion further and further away from the electrified walls. Though Ralek forced the controls to push forward, the inner workings of the machine had been damaged too much to effectively pull back.

Eve squirmed in the scorpion's claws in an attempt to break free.

"Oh no you don't!" Ralek growled at Eve. He raised the little Nasod higher and began to squeeze at her neck, "I can just cut your head off right here and now!"

Number 20 watched as Eve was carried higher. In that split second, the Nasod shifted its stance, drew its revolver, and fired a shot that found its way in between the small gap of the scorpion's claw joint. Sparks flew as a rather large power cable had been severed, causing the claw around Eve's neck to seize up.

"What?! Damns it all!" Ralek's scorpion briefly turned its attention to Number 20. One of its back legs kicked hard at the Nasod, yet the Phantom refused to let go.

With the disabled arm, Eve struggled to pull herself out of its grasp. The pincers around her neck were so tight that sliding along the metal threatened to cut deep into her skin. She tried wrestling her arm out but found it near impossible without risking damage to her limb.

At this point, she only had one option. She had been lucky so far with avoiding its use, but Eve could not deny its necessity now. Number 20 was distracting Ralek, but she could see the Phantom's strength was waning. She was running out of time.

Ralek forced his machine to kick again and again, each one as forceful as the last and each causing the Nasod's grip to falter. Ralek pulled back the scorpion's leg, winding it up for one last kick. The strike landed square onto the side of Number 20's head. The Phantom lost its grip, and it was sent flying several meters back.

"I'll deal with you after I pluck my prize from this one," Ralek growled, turning back to Eve.

Suddenly, a gigantic black and white spear flew in from the heavens. It sliced straight through both of the scorpion's arm like butter, before planting itself firmly into the ground safely next to Eve. Dust billowed outward, and the scorpion lurched from the sudden shift in weight. It stumbled backwards, clearly bewildered by the loss of its arms.

The wounds on Eve's limbs closed as she shoved the claw around her neck away. As she stood, large black spikes materialized from her back, like sharp wings. She opened her eyes, revealing bright blue orbs as a hologram message appeared in front of her:

" _Hello, world! Full Generate Mode initiated!"_

A forceful blast of energy pulsed outwards from her, clearing the area of the cloud of dust for the audience to witness. As the dust cleared, the patrons fell in a hushed silence of shock and awe as Nemesis rose out of the ashes inexplicably undamaged while the scorpion appeared to have lost all of its effective weaponry.

The large spear that had fallen out of nowhere dissipated behind Eve as she stepped towards Ralek's machine.

"How…" Ralek mumbled as the scorpion backed away from the queen, "Where did that blade-"

Eve rushed forward, causing the machine to fall silent in an unprecedented amount of speed. Standing face to face with the queen, the red lenses turned downward, realizing Eve held a spear in her hands. The nano-sharpened tip easily punched through the thickened armor and pierced the scorpion's speakerbox.

Without a word, she placed her boot on the scorpion's head and withdrew the spear, before kicking the giant scorpion away with enough strength to surprise the machine. It fell back helplessly as Eve turned her back and stepped away from the scorpion.

Eve looked about her surroundings and observed the numerous scraps of Nasod steel around her. Every bit of broken machine, every inert piece of steel no matter how small, hummed in a strange, harmonious song that only she was able to hear. It was as if the entire battleground was awaiting her beck and call.

She focused her glowing blue eyes back on Ralek's machine, her targeting system marking all angles of attack and every which way she could rip and tear this abomination of man to shreds. It wasn't her doing, rather it was her system's. It asked-no, pleaded-for Eve to allow the complete and utter annihilation of her adversary.

But she knew better.

She knew time was of the essence, and that allowing her code the freedom to do as it pleased would only prolong her remaining at this state.

Eve raised a hand to the heavens, clenching it into a fist. The surrounding metals bent to her will. Gears, nuts, and bolts all came together like one hive entity. It pieced itself together, parts new and old from broken and inert Nasods, to form a massive fist that hovered over Eve. She brought her hand down and the giant fist followed her motion, crashing onto the scorpion and scattering into thousands of scrap pieces at the point of impact.

Ralek's machine stood no chance. Under the weight of several tons of steel, the scorpion was nothing but a pile of metal in a deep crater.

Wasting no time to relish in the victory, Eve turned to deal with Number 20. As expected the Phantom was already on their feet but, to her surprise, they didn't appear to be willing to fight. It stared at her for a long moment. Long enough to silently show it meant no ill-will before suddenly raising a hand and bringing it down in a grand bow.

" _It… it appears number 20 is surrendering."_

The announcer was clearly speechless. After the rapid back and forth of events, this was all they were able to muster.

" _I… hold on- Is Ralek's… It's down? Down and out? And the Phantom is giving up?"_

Eve glared at the masked Nasod as it rose from its bow. It turned its back on her to walk away as the announcer finally came back on the loudspeaker.

" _A-and with that we have the new challenger to the Proving Grounds throne! A round of applause for Team Rose and Nemesis!"_

There was a brief, confused pause with the audience before the cheering slowly rose to a loud roar of celebration. Eve let out a long, drawn out sigh, ending the Full Generate protocol and catching a glimpse of a red label before it disappeared from view.

75%

The multiple windows in her peripherals winked out of existence as her programs were shut down, and she was once again reintroduced to the raw sensation of the world around her. The cheer of the crowd was deafening. The colors and banners and the waves of movement overwhelmed her. Her senses were pulled into overdrive as everything came at her unfiltered once more. But there wasn't any pain. The Full Generate Mode had repaired her frame to its fullest and she was, once again, free to move around.

By the time she gained a foothold of all her senses, Number 20 had all but disappeared from the battlefield. The sound of a shutting gate was all that was left of the stalker.

Then, the chanting began.

" _Loyal patrons of the Proving Grounds: It. Is. Time! Team Rose: your machine has survived the battle royale but the ultimate test has only begun!"_

Eve made her way to the second level, standing at the center of the battleground as she searched for the champion of the Proving Ground. She had to be ready. If the rumours were true, then she might have to use Full Generate Mode again.

"You got this, Eve," Rose said. The sound of Ralek shouting over Elesis could be heard in the background.

Eve held a hand to her chest, shutting her eyes and steeling herself for one final encounter. "Strike quickly and efficiently," the little Nasod told herself.

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a lone, glowing cube no bigger than the palm of her hand, floating in the air a few meters away from her. She blinked, curiously, squinting at the peculiar object that suddenly began to spin in place.

Eve stepped back, and the chant of the crowd began to pick up in rhythm.

Movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned to see another cube. And another. Then several.

Hundreds of cubes seemed to appear out of nowhere, swirling the perimeter of the battleground before joining the first cube floating in the middle of the arena.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen, we have waited an entire year for the return of the undisputed champion of the Proving Grounds. He has swept the floor in last year's competition and dominated the three-time winner of previous tournaments without so much as breaking a sweat… earning him the appropriate title of the Dominator!"_

It became apparent after this revelation that the crowd had been chanting this individual's name. Eve heard Rose snort at the title.

" _Today, the Dominator is allowing you, our beloved patrons, a glimpse of his most recent accomplishment! Witness a machine perfected in its effectiveness! A machine built for war! A machine aptly named The Apocalypse!"_

The crowd roared as the hundreds of cubes came together like a swarm before assembling itself into one large, seamless block. It emitted an intense purple aura that seemed to darken the immediate area surrounding Eve before a pair of white hologram eyes appeared at the apparent front of the cube. It turned its white gaze towards Eve, prompting the little Nasod to take a wary step back.

Yet it didn't attack. Was it waiting for her to make the first move?

"I recognize that code," the cube's feminine voice said to Eve, "It is the base which my master used to create me."

Eve's brow furrowed as she tilted her head at the cube.

"Your master used my code…?"

"A fraction of it, yes. He does not wish that I fight you. In fact, he wishes to meet you."

"Wh-what? He wishes to meet me?" Eve stammered, taken aback by the offer, "How?"

"Simple. I'll bring him to you."

The cube separated and reformed itself into a hollow cylinder. With a thrum of energy the cube slowly rose off the ground, 3D printing a familiar ominous device that Eve quickly recognized.

It was a translocator.

"No… No. I do not wish to see him," Eve whispered, taking another step back.

"You have no choice in the matter, my queen," Apocalypse said, reverting back to its cubic form.

With its construction complete, the translocator emitted a bright white spark, swapping places with its master with a loud flash.

Eve nearly lost her balance as she stared in horror at the person standing before her.

Dressed in an all-white business suit and a purple button up and tie, the mere sight of the champion caused the Nasod's heart to sink. He wore a black eye patch where a deep purple scar seemed to be cut into the side of his face, and he brushed the bangs of his short-white hair away from his piercing purple gaze.

Add smiled his sinister smile. "It's good to see you again, Eve."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story thus far. If you did, your thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Though please try to keep major spoilers out of the comments! Thank you**


	12. Chapter 11: Stubborness

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back! Big thanks to Aevari, Taee, and Kalafinn544 with the edits and such. Where have I been, you ask? Well... here. Just not working on this when I know I should have. I have a lot of things on my plate keeping me from writing this (mainly two things, one rhyming with "murk" and the other rhyming with "carriage") but now that i have a little time i finally posted this! Finally! Bad news though, The Witch of Elysion. I've realized trying to write both big projects and juggle RL things AND do mini side projects results in OID not being updated in... one... two... seven months. So i am putting Witch on hold. at least until i get more of THIS done because this story is my main focus. Anyways that's it with the update. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I hate this 's all itchy," Gerard's son whined. The five-year-old scratched his back as he rolled about trying to find the most comfortable position.

"They don't have any other kind, Edwin," his pregnant mother said. The Coluso tribeswoman set their travel bag down and began unpacking a fresh change of clothes for her son.

"It's the same as our servants' beds," Edwin continued, trying to jump on the mattress and causing the wooden frame to creak.

Nerin raised her arms to calm the boy down but he continued to throw a fit. "You're going to break it, dear."

"I want my bed!"

"We can't sleep in our beds, yet. Maybe tomorrow."

"I want my bed!" Edwin screamed loud enough for his voice to echo against the hardened mud walls. Noticing the echo, the five-year-old quickly forgot his current predicament and screamed again, laughing at the volume of the reverberated sound waves.

"Edwin! Hush!" Gerard growled, rubbing his temples as he sat at the edge of another straw bed, only to get a mischievous giggle from his son followed by a series of loud creaking again as Edwin tried jumping on the straw mattress once more.

There was a hard knock on the door, causing the three to quickly fall silent.

"Mr. Lewry? It's Chung," the voice outside the door said in a fervent whisper that was almost drowned out by the laughter of patrons below.

The archmage sighed and moved to answer the door, pulling it open to find two Hamelians and his niece standing at the entrance.

"In all my years living among the wealthy, I'd never thought I'd see the day when a king would politely knock at my door," Gerard joked, "Come in. I know there isn't much room, but given what funds I had available without unfolding my estate, I can only afford one room."

"We can't stay here," the young king said.

"What? Why ever not? I understand if the accommodations may be a bit… unaccommodating, but it's only for the night and-" it was then that Gerard noted the wary look in the young man's eyes.

Chung entered the room, making his way to the second-story window that overlooked the tavern's back alleyway.

"And I assume you're going to explain why that is?" Gerard cocked a brow at Chung who, at this point, was sticking his head out of the window searching for something outside.

Under the shroud of night and shadow, he couldn't make out if the two were still there. But regardless of whether or not they were where he had left them, he knew this place wasn't safe with demons skulking about.

Chung eyed Nerin and the young boy watching the scene unfold with waning curiosity.

Gerard quickly picked up on this and offered to take this conversation out in the hall. Before leaving, he turned to his wife, "Nerin? Make sure Edwin and Anduran are tucked in. I'll be just a moment."

"Zudrich, watch the window," Chung ordered, following the archmage out.

"Yes, my k-" the guardian paused, and corrected himself, "Chung."

Chung shut the door and followed Gerard down the short hallway until they were at the top of the stairs overlooking the busy tavern below. The majority of the tavern's patrons were male; El miners that worked in the nearby temple ruins digging up wind shards left behind by the El Stone of Wind. At a glance, it was clear to see that the work these men were put under wasn't easy. They were brawny and dressed in ruined uniforms discolored by sun and sweat. The smell of booze and body odor was nearly enough to make Chung retch.

"Not the most pleasant place to hold a conversation," Gerard commented, "But I don't want to stray too far from my family. So, what's the issue?"

"We can't stay here," Chung said, his voice firm in his decision to leave.

"As you've already established. I'm curious as to why that is."

"We found two suspicious individuals in the alleyway behind the tavern. Anduran confirmed that they were, in fact, demons."

"I'm aware. Is that all?" Gerard stated, his lack of concern obvious in the way he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Chung wasn't sure whether to be more appalled by the fact that Gerard knew monsters were nearby or by his blatant lack of apprehension on the matter.

"Mr. Lewry… there are _monsters_ just outside the tavern. Doesn't that worry you in the slightest?"

"King Seiker," Gerard turned to the young man fully, leaning on the railing as he scratched the back of his head, "I understand your nation's history with the denizens of the underworld, and I am aware that their presence can be a bit concerning for you. But, if you had the power to sense demons like me, you'd understand that the presence of just two otherworldly beings is far from any real threat."

"Are you saying we should ignore them?"

"Yes. They're not hurting anyone."

"But they can!"

"They're dying, King Seiker. They're about as much of an issue as a petty thief with broken legs. Given their current state, they wouldn't last the night. Furthermore, demon spies are common - a lot more common than you think. I'm fairly certain you've run into your fair share of doppelgangers or sleeper cells without even realizing it."

Doppelgangers? Did those things even exist? Chung took a moment to reflect on his journeys thus far and couldn't think of one event where he-

Pet.

He remembered the encounter. He was in Velder, traveling to Hamel. A demon disguised as Pet had isolated him in an alleyway and would've killed him had Roger and Mud not shown up to save him.

"And you let these things roam around free without reporting them to anyone?"

Gerard sighed and shook his head. "I get where you're coming from, your highness, I really do. When I was your age, I thought it my responsibility to cleanse Sander with my power to sense magical creatures. I was even part of the inquisition for the city's mage university."

"What's an inquisition?" the young king asked. He had heard the word mentioned a few times from Aisha during their talks of her home but he never bothered to ask any further.

"A security branch of sorts. Apart from keeping would-be mages from practicing forbidden arts, the inquisition was the type that took it upon themselves to remove any form of demonic presence that plagued Sander. I was part of it. Was, at least."

"Why'd you stop?"

Gerard looked at Hamel's king and saw he was listening intently. "If I were to tell you which of these people in this tavern were tainted by demonic corruption, what would you do?"

"I'd get rid of them," Chung answered simply.

"I see," Gerard looked over the patrons, quietly counting over them before turning back to Chung, "All of them."

"A-all of them?" Chung glanced at the bar and saw there were at least twenty enjoying their well-earned break from working at the mines all day. "A...are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Every single one. Go on. Get rid of them."

"Gerard, you have to be joking."

It was then that a smile crossed the old man's lips, "I am. And I have to say, for a king, you are terrible at keeping your word."

Taking that as more of a compliment than a critique, Chung sighed in relief and Gerard seemed more than happy to see that bit of hesitation in the young man's actions. "I wish others were as like-minded as you, your highness… but if I were to speak honestly…"

Gerard scanned the patrons once more and his face grew sullen. "Most of them, to varying degrees, have been touched by corruption."

"Is… that bad?" Chung asked.

"No. It would be as noteworthy as pointing out dirt on one's boots. You, on the other hand…" Gerard turned his gaze towards Chung but he wasn't looking at the young man, rather, he was looking through him, "It's as if you've rolled around in metaphorical mud for weeks, forgone washing, and proceeded to cultivate the lifeforms birthed from your lack of personal hygiene."

The king strangely felt as if the archmage was speaking less metaphorically and more on the fact that Chung actually didn't have access to purified water as readily even compared to the people living in the desert.

He looked over himself, as if expecting to find himself covered in filth. The Archmage chuckled, "It's one thing to be covered in filth, it's another to embody it. The corruption hanging over you is most likely due to a combination of your past run-ins with evil as well as personal hang ups. Coming from my field of work, I know when there's a threat and there isn't one. In our current case: you're not a threat nor are the two you saw in the alleyway."

"I still won't rest easy knowing they're there," Chung stated.

"And I don't expect you to turn a new leaf over the course of a few minutes. I just wanted you to understand my way of thinking."

"I see…"

"Growing up, I've learned that there are far worse individuals than the monsters hiding in the shadows. Demons aren't the only ones that prey on people's emotions… and when you have something as powerful as fear driving the masses, they need only a source to direct it. I was that source at one point… and I've carried out my task as the city's crier with utmost efficiency. As ruthless of an inquisitor I was, I never used the power for my own personal gain… unlike many others I've worked with."

"Is… that why you left Sander?"

"No," Gerard said, "I left for different reasons. However, I eventually quit the inquisition and continued my study of magical arts for many years after that. By then, I've seen how something as powerful as the ability to sense demons can be perverted into something far more sinister. And those who took my place… took advantage of it."

"Who were they?"

"They were politically-driven individuals. Ones who sought to gain from the Sander's wealth rather than serving the city. To them, it didn't matter so much if you were corrupted by demons or as innocent as the day you were born. All that mattered was whether or not you stood in their way. And those that did would disappear… and you'll be meeting with one of them."

Chung blinked, "I will?"

"You're going to Sander, are you not? To see 'His Greatness' in all his splendor? I remember when that overweight sack of sand seal dung first became head of the inquisition."

"'His Greatness', huh? Sounds benevolent…"

Gerard chuckled, "As long as you know how to use his greed against him, you should be able to convince him to assist you."

"I'll keep that in mind," the young man nodded.

"Excellent," Gerard said, stretching and yawning after a moment, "Anyways. If you excuse me, your highness, going back to the matter at hand: the demons lurking in the alleyway… I'm tired. My family is tired. We have no means of traveling until our sandcrawler recharges its El reserves. Sometimes it's just best to let sleeping dogs lie. Or in this case: dying dogs. Even now, I can sense their unnatural life force waning. And even if they weren't on their last legs, I doubt they would be able to do much with you and your companion around."

"Fine."

"My family and I will leave at daybreak if that better suits you. The transport ships to Sander should be open by that time as well," Gerard offered, briefly reminding Chung that this village was to be their final resting point before Gerard and his family parted ways with Chung and Zudrich.

"You're sure that your family will be fine without us?" Chung asked, recalling the attack on Garpai village earlier that day, "Ara's intentions were clear when she saw Anduran. What if she finds you again?"

There was a long, uncomfortable pause in Gerard's response. "That's a problem we'll have to figure out on our own, I suppose." His answer wasn't good enough and Gerard could see it in Chung's eyes, which the mage tried to wipe away with a reassuring grin. "We can take care of ourselves. You've seen what my wife is capable of. We'll be fine. Besides, you have business in Sander and we don't. I wouldn't want to keep Hamel's king from performing his duties."

That's right. His people were waiting for help from their neighbors and here he was getting caught up in adventurer's work. In the span of twenty-four hours, so much had happened that Chung had almost forgotten why he was here in the first place. He was here to ask for assistance, not the other way around.

But who could blame him? He stood trial and was nearly executed by Garpai Village's justice system, fended off invading Harpies, was nearly killed by Ara, fled the village in the middle of a sand storm, and discovered there were demons lurking around the tavern they were staying in for the night. And all of this happened in a single day. By nightfall, he was so physically and mentally drained that his obligations had fallen to the sidelines. He was practically dead set on escorting Gerard and his family to safety.

"We'll be fine," Gerard reassured Chung once more. Gerard yawned, turning to head back to the room they rented. "For now, let's retire for the night. I feel a good night's rest is in order for all of us."

"For you, at least," Chung said, "I still don't like the fact that there are monsters just beyond our window. I'll be doing a nightwatch with Zudrich. You rest easy, Gerard. We'll keep a lookout."

* * *

"Zudrich?" Chung whispered, his voice somewhat drowned by Gerard's snoring. He shook his companion who stirred from sleep.

"Zudrich, it's your shift," the king said, standing up to let the guardian rise to a sitting position. He had been sleeping on the floor. With the small room's two beds occupied by Gerard's family, the Hamelians were given the lovely opportunity to sleep on the cold stone floor. It's not like it was any more of an inconvenience, however. During Chung's nightwatch, he noticed how Gerard's family tossed and turned on the itchy straw beds. If anyone slept peacefully that night, it was Zudrich.

"Anything to report…?" Zudrich grumbled, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Chung shook his head, "Nope, thankfully. The demons are still sitting there in the alleyway if you look hard enough. Doesn't appear either of them have moved much. The tall one stops the late-night passersby every now and then but other than that, they've done nothing… Maybe Gerard was right, afterall. Maybe they really aren't a threat."

"Probably not," Zudrich shrugged, looking as if he was convinced enough to drop the night shift altogether and sleep the rest of the night away.

"Get up," Chung chuckled, "I did my time. You do yours."

"Yep… yep," Zudrich said before quickly jumping to his feet and stretching. The towering guardian began changing into his gear while Chung dressed down for the night. Though the king didn't admit it openly, he was glad that it was finally Zudrich's shift. For the four hours he had been awake, he had been struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Edwin's been talking in his sleep," Chung said, packing his bag of clothing into something resembling a pillow to rest on.

"The little brat?"

"Little brat, huh?" Chung mused

"What?" Zudrich looked to Nerin and Gerard to see if they were awake. Satisfied, he brought his voice to a lower whisper. "I think the kid's a little on the spoiled side. I can't find it in myself to feel much for someone that makes fun of others because they're not as well off as he is."

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from but... you have to understand, he's just a kid."

"A kid with a luxury estate that his dad's keeping in his pocket. He doesn't know how good he has it, honestly."

"You won't have to deal with him much longer. We're going to Sander at first light."

"Which reminds me," Zudrich said, "You sure it's okay to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Leaving them to fend for themselves."

"Gerard said he and his wife could handle it and we have more important things to do-"

"Not them," Zudrich shook his head and motioned with his head out the window, " _Them_."

Chung cocked a brow at his guardian.

"Who?"

"Lu and Ciel."

" _Who?_ " Chung knew who he was talking about but the fact that he was asking about those two, even going as far as remembering their names, was concerning.

"My king… we can't leave them like this."

Chung stared at his companion, shock and disbelief was all that was visible on his face.

"They're demons, Zudrich."

"Yes, my king," the guardian replied, dropping his head in immediate regret.

"Do not forget what those things have done to our people."

"Yes, my king."

"...Our home." Chung wasn't angry. He understood Zudrich's pull towards those in need. It was, after all, one of the many fundamental rules of becoming a Hamel Paladin: to help those in need. But after what happened to Chung. After learning of Velder's betrayal-after watching demons wreak havoc on Elrios time and again-after watching it turn his closest friends against one another, he had to draw the line here.

"I haven't, my king," Zudrich bowed his head in apology. There was a moment's pause, however, before he raised his head to speak, again. "I've just had a lot going through my mind after yesterday."

Chung saw the hesitation in his companion and the king's expression softened, "Speak freely, Zuzu. I'll listen."

"I…" the guardian sat on the floor, staring at his hands for a long while, "I'm not sure I did the right thing back in Garpai… All those people were under some sort of spell that drove them to a frenzy. In the heat of the moment I could only think of protecting my king but, since the battle ended, I couldn't help but feel as if it was wrong to take their lives. It stands against everything that a Paladin stands for. To think I'd be breaking their code so soon after my promotion to guardian."

"Zudrich…"

"And when I saw Ciel and Lu suffering in the alleyway, I just couldn't bring myself to abandon them after what I did. I thought it was the El Lady giving me a chance to redeem myself after the horrors I've committed."

Chung reached out and placed a comforting hand on Zudrich's shoulder. He understood where he was coming from. The Paladin's code was a set of rules that the young king had tried to follow growing up as well. Even under the darkest of times, Chung had tried to stand under its ideals under the impression that good and evil were as clear as night and day. But time had shown him otherwise. Time had revealed that the Paladin's code was written by a hopeful, naive, fool. After discovering Velder's ulterior motives and watching as his closest friends continue to side with the kingdom, Chung understood that not everything could be divided between good and evil. Not even the people he once called family.

"You did the right thing, Zudrich," Chung reassured him, "Back in Garpai and in the alleyway, you did what you felt was right. Those innocent people may have been under some sort of spell when they attacked but had you not stepped in, they would have surely killed me as well as Gerard and his family. Our goal was to get out of that village and we did so all while saving who we could. With that behind us, we have a chance to refocus on our current job. You remember what we've traveled all the way here for Sander for, right?"

Zudrich's mouth fell agape for just a moment before he dropped his head after being reminded. Chung smiled, he couldn't blame him. After all that happened yesterday, even the king had forgotten what he was sent here to do.

"It's to find help in restoring our kingdom after what those demons did to us. That is our priority now and it's certainly not to help those that caused our suffering in the first place. Whatever happens to those two out on the street is none of our concern. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

Chung patted Zudrich once more as he finished getting ready for bed, "Chin up, Zuzu. After tomorrow, we'll settle our business with the people in Sander and be on our way home. I'll see you in the morning."

"Rest well, my king."

"Chung's fine, Zudrich."

"...As you wish, Chung."

Chung felt that Zudrich had more to say as the king turned in for the night. But at this point exhaustion had already won the battle. Still, the feeling of being watched lingered.

* * *

Nothing but the earthly colors of nature surrounded him. He wasn't in the desert anymore. Rather, he was in a dense thicket of trees. The sound of rustling leaves could be heard from high above as he wandered a foreign, but oddly nostalgic trail. It felt like he had been here before but there was nothing recognizable about his surroundings… except the smell of sweet potatoes.

He followed the scent along the beaten trail until muffled voices were just barely audible through the brush. He recognized them, the gruff and direct voice of a mercenary and the coddling reassurance of an elf. He heard the shrill scolding of a mage and the clash of steel rang through the trees.

Moving aside the wall of leaves, Chung stepped into a large clearing where his friends had set up camp for the day. Rena was sitting on her sleeping bag mending the soles of one of her worn-out boots while Aisha and Eve oversaw the late lunch.

Or at least Aisha was. Having never cooked before, Eve was learning on the go and it was apparent by the way Aisha scolded her that her knife skills were a bit lacking, if not dangerous to be around when wielding one.

"No, not like that Chung. You're being too passive," Raven said, setting himself between Elsword and Chung to break the two up. The merc's Nasod arm was wrapped tightly in layers of white cloth to keep it still. It was a way for the man to keep the machine in check should it ever lash out unexpectedly.

"But… this is how I was taught to fight," the Hamelian argued, setting his cannon down on with a heavy thump.

"It's too defensive," Elsword agreed, "I'm pretty much controlling the pace once the match starts. You have to go on the offensive at some point."

"Whoever taught you how to fight needs a lesson of their own," Raven agreed. To that, the young boy simply dropped his head.

"When it comes down to a life or death scenario, the first person to land a decisive blow is often the winner. If all you do is defend and react to what your opponent does, you will never be in a position to attack."

The young king remembered everything that was happening. This was his first day in Ruben forest. By their leader's orders, the El Search Party had taken him under their wing to help him one day reclaim his homeland.

His younger self began to cry and Rena, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, rushed to his side, putting herself between Raven and Elsword and scolding them for making little Chung cry.

He remembered how optimistic he was back then. He remembered thinking that as long as he was with these powerful allies, they'd liberate Hamel.

Looking back at Elsword and Raven, Chung saw that they had changed. Raven's Nasod arm was no longer wrapped but lay largely docile and under his control. A long flowing coat hung at his shoulders as he stood next to Elsword who had grown significantly taller compared to his younger years.

No longer the squire Chung had known him to be, the Lord Knight of Velder stood with Raven, staring in opposition to Chung's reflection who remained a child behind the safety of the Rena's Nightwatcher's cloak.

Turning to the kitchen area, Chung saw that Aisha had all but vanished, leaving Eve to care for the meal for the rest of the group. She silently chopped away at the carrots just the way Aisha had taught her. Curious, Chung approached Eve. He tilted his head to get a better look as she tossed the chopped vegetables into the stew. Even though there was little emotion visible in the Nasod's eyes, Chung saw something else within those golden pools…

But he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

* * *

"Chung!" Zudrich spoke in a frantic whisper as he shook the young man awake, "Chung! Wake up!"

"Wha- What? What is it?" Chung bolted to a sitting position but was still in the middle of asking Eve a question.

"She's here."

"Wha… who's here?" Chung asked groggily. Looking about, he saw that Anduran was wide awake. Gerard had just rolled out of bed and was in the process of waking the rest of his family.

"Ara," Zudrich said, causing Chung to immediately snap out of his drowsy state.

Glancing out of the window, Chung saw the telltale signs of daylight overcoming the night's sky.

"How'd you know?"

"I saw her. Long black hair and carried a spear, right? She was hopping from rooftop to rooftop a few buildings away. She's definitely looking for us."

"How did she find us?"

"We're not sure," Zudrich reported, "But she's definitely here. From the way she moved from rooftop to rooftop, I doubt she knows where we are exactly. But she is searching for us."

"Chung," Gerard called in a whisper, "You know her more than any of us. What's our move?"

The mining village, although built within the large ruins of the former wind temple, wasn't large enough to effectively hide in for long. It would only be a matter of time before she found them if she searched thoroughly enough.

"The sooner we leave the better," Chung said, "How far can your vehicle take you from here?"

"The dunerunner should be mostly charged and ready for a day's worth of travel by now," Gerard said, rubbing his chin, "The first airship for Sander should be departing in an hour so my family and I will make ourselves scarce while you two remain hidden in this room."

By this time, Nerin had coaxed a sleepy Edwin out of bed while Anduran had finished packing up all their belongings. Looking at the family, Chung agreed they were more than capable enough at fending for themselves. Despite Edwin's frequent tantrums, he read the situation well and didn't throw a fit when asked to quickly get changed and stay close to his mother. Anduran clung close to her aunt as well as Nerin looked to the three men for their next move. Nerin was a phenomenal fighter. From the brief moment between her and Ara, he knew Ara saw her as a threat, as well. However, the belly of a mother in her third trimester was more than enough reason for Chung to personally see them out.

"I can't do that, Gerard," Chung shook his head, "It's clear she's after Anduran. I'm not letting you go outside without an escort. We move together. Keep your heads low and make your way out of town quickly and quietly."

The archmage sighed, "That's all well and good but I feel moving unnoticed would be the wiser choice and you don't necessarily blend well into a dark alleyway with your large weapons and white armor."

"And you don't know Ara when she's fighting at her peak. Nerin may have caught Ara by surprise the first time but I highly doubt she'd let your wife get the better of her a second time around."

There was a distinct pause as the archmage considered his options. He went from looking out of the window, to the Hamelians, and to his family. Nerin tugged at his sleeve as the woman gave him a questioning look. A full-fledged dialogue was visible between the married couple locked in that moment of staring into each other's eyes. After a brief moment of hesitation on Gerard's part, it looked as if Nerin had won.

"Give me a moment…" the archmage said. He straightened his stance, putting his feet together and exhaling slowly as he set his hands in front of himself and began weaving a spell into the air.

Chung glanced out the window, eyes alert for any movement as he saw the sun beginning to rise in the horizon. Daylight was coming. They'd be easier to spot the longer they waited.

"Gerard, we don't have a moment. The sooner we leave-"

"Shush," Nerin whispered, moving to the king's side. "He's searching."

"Searching? For Ara?"

The Caluso shook her head, "No. He is searching for the correct string."

"I saw him do this before," Zudrich nodded, "It's what brought us to you during your run in with Ara, Chung."

"I don't understand. What do you mean by 'string'?" Chung asked, confused.

Regardless, no one said a word as a spell circle appeared at Gerard's feet. Its glowing yellow and white runes came to life, spinning faster and faster as a gentle current of El whipped around the archmage. His lips mouthed the incantation silently and, to Chung, it seemed as if Gerard was no longer there. The archmage's body was physically standing before them but the way his body stood rigidly and unmoving, save for the lips, made him look more like a puppet dangling at the strings than anything else.

At that moment, Gerard's body snapped out of its trance, jolting as if he had been thrown back into the physical plane. His eyes were wide as he took each breath with labored exhaustion. Beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead as he took in his surroundings as if he were trying to regain his bearings.

"That's… incredibly risky. But..." Gerard said, opening his eyes with a weakened, nervous grin, "I'll explain the gist of it later but we must make for the dunerunner this instant."

The group made their way out of the tavern's room and into the walkway overlooking the sleepy tavern. The muffled clink of dishes being cleaned and prepared through the tiny kitchen window was the only sign of life in the building.

They made their way out onto the street and rounded the corner into the alleyway where their dunerunner was stowed. Still in the twilight hours of the morning, the alleyway remained largely shrouded in darkness. Zudrich led the way, one hand gripping the handle of his cannon, while Chung brought up the rear, scanning for even the slightest movement in the rooftops above.

The silence of their surroundings was unnerving. The muffled crunch of loose rocks against concrete and sand that came with every step the group took made Chung all the more paranoid of an approaching threat.

As they reached the T-intersection, the Hamelians moved to the front, securing both approaches and allowing the family to take cover into the stable before backing into it themselves. Chung's eyes instinctively fell on where he had last spotted the two demons.

Gerard said they wouldn't last the night and Chung had half expected to see two corpses lying on the ground. What he saw, or rather, what he didn't see, was far more unsettling.

They were gone.

Whether they had died elsewhere or simply vanished in thin air Chung wasn't sure. Though now that he thought about it: demons, when struck at their weak point, would disintegrate into a cloud of smoke. He wasn't sure if the same applied to one whose El had run out.

"It looks like everything is still here and accounted for," Gerard said, calling Chung to attention as he and Zudrich began setting up the wagon for his family, "With the fuel we have we can travel for most of the day."

"Where're you planning to go from here?" Chung asked.

"We can rough it out in the desert for another couple of nights. We'll just need to quickly stop by a village to restock our supplies and we should be fine.

"A couple of nights? Where are you going exactly?"

Both Gerard and Nerin looked at each other, hesitation evident in both of their eyes.

The archmage shrugged, reassuring Nerin silently about something before motioning her and the two children to get into the back of the wagon while he took the driver's seat. "My wife and I have a backup plan in the unlikely chance that things unfolded the way they have been."

"You mean the attack on Garpai? You anticipated something like that happening? Why?"

"I mean being forced out of our home and certainly not at the scale you saw. Nerin and I had expected that, due to our… rather peculiar situation, we would eventually have to move. And as much as it pains me to rely on _them_ for shelter… That Ara woman has left us with no choice."

"We're going to my home," Nerin said, sticking her head out of the back of the wagon, "The Caluso Tribe's capital."

"And you'll be safe there?"

"You've seen what I'm capable of, yes?" Nerin asked, cocking a brow at Chung, "There is a reason why the Sander Empire was unable to remove us despite their superior numbers and technology-"

Movement at the stable's entrance caught Chung's attention and the two Hamelians quickly moved into the defensive, pointing their cannons at the stranger as he stepped into view. He was tall with much of his face shrouded by the ragged cloak that fell down to his knees. From what little he could see, Chung noted the long, lanky legs and the thin frame of his torso. Although it was hard to tell given how dark it was during their first encounter, this man was likely the very same one he had spoken to last night. It was one of the demons.

"Gerard," Chung called as he held his weapon steady, "I thought you said he didn't have enough El to last the night." Whatever was going on, this monster was the cause of it, he just knew it.

"He shouldn't have," Gerard replied, though the lack of surprise was clear in his voice. By then, Nerin could be heard ushering the kids onto the wagon.

Whether or not he should have didn't matter now. He was there and he was standing in their way. "What do you want, demon?" Chung growled.

"Ciel," the demon said, reminding the king of his name, "I've come to warn you: do not take the eastern exit out of the village."

"Oh?" Chung was already ready to dismiss such an odd warning, "That's the closest gate. Why would we risk cutting through most of the village just to go around the east end?"

The one named Ciel turned, looking over his shoulder towards the sound of combat, "Because _she_ is waiting for you."

She? He must be referring to Ara.

Not taking his eyes off the demon at the doorway, Chung spoke to Gerard. "What do you think? I don't like where this is going. Do we trust this guy?"

There was a pause in Gerard's response. "That's up to you to decide." Although Chung had noted it the last time Gerard spoke, it was unavoidably clear this time: there was something strange in the way he said it. It was as if he were reading his lines to a play; as if he already knew what Chung was going to decide.

Ciel turned his gaze upward as something out of view caught his eye. In a flash, the demon drew out two weapons from under his cloak.

They were gunblades: essentially long-barreled revolvers forged into swords. Chung had only heard stories of these versatile, but difficult to use, weapons. To see the dark tempered steel and the glint of a sharpened edge was enough to immediately force Chung to take the initiative. Chung's finger tightened around the trigger of his cannon and he would have fired had Zudrich not suddenly extended an arm to stop him.

"You pull the trigger, you announce our position to Ara."

"But he's-" Chung protested but fell silent when he saw the demon had completely lost interest in the group and was already moving to pursue whatever had caught his attention.

"It appears you have an unwanted guest hunting you. They'll soon be upon you. Leave while I distract them," Ciel said.

An unwanted guest? Ara was outside?

The demon moved to give chase, but Chung called out to him before he disappeared. "Why are you helping us?"

Ciel paused just as he was about to leave and turned to the king, his piercing blue eyes showed he wasn't looking at Chung but past him… towards the family behind him. "I'm simply returning the favor."

"Favor?" Chung thought as the demon leapt out of view, the glint of drawn blades peeking out from under the cloak catching his eye just as the stranger left the stable. Was this some kind of trap? The king ran out after him but found the alleyway empty once more, the shadow.

"So… which way are we going?" Zudrich asked, moving for the wagon itself as Gerard drove the dunerunner to the entrance. "East exit or west exit?"

"He said not to go out the east but that means we'll be traveling through most of the village making for the west exit. That's awfully convenient for a demon to direct us that way. With all the ruins this village was built in, that's perfect for him to set up some kind of ambush."

"If he wanted to attack us he would have done so already," Zudrich reasoned, hopping onto the back of the wagon and offering Chung a hand.

"But we outnumbered him. In a small space with our weapons he'd have little chance in reaching Anduran. He's clearly setting up an ambush."

"He isn't," his companion reassured him.

"Are you saying we should trust him?"

"Would you rather go east and run into Ara?"

"He's after Ara right now. You heard him say it himself. If Ara is here, we can still make a break for the east exit." Chung took Zudrich's arm and he was pulled onto the wagon. Moving to the front of the wagon, Chung saw Gerard's face was as white as a ghost. The archmage spoke, his voice trembling with unusual apprehension.

"So are we going to the east gate or the west gate?"

"Are… you okay, Gerard? The threat's gone so-"

Gerard shook his head, "It's not gone. I've seen the perils of this string but this is the best outcome for all of us."

"What do you mean by string?" Chung asked.

"I'll explain later," Gerard said, gulping heavily, "Our window of opportunity is closing. I'll need your decision now. East gate or west gate?"

Chung looked at the others behind him. It was either do as the demon had suggested or take the shortest route he warned against.

"We're still going out the east exit! To hells with what the demon says!"

The archmage nodded and shut his eyes, whispering a small prayer before revving his engine. The dunerunner took off, accelerating down the alleyway at a speed that threatened to throw his passengers off the wagon.

"Once you've cleared the exit, Zudrich and I will leave you to your trip. If that demon is engaged with Ara right now, we'll have to make sure to eliminate both of them," Chung said over the rumble of the engine, "If we're to go to Sander, we need to remove the threat quickly and reduce the collateral damage to the village the fight is sure to cause. Hopefully, within the hour, Gerard and his family are a safe distance out of town and the the village is secure enough that the villagers would be kind enough to send us to Sander for free."

"Free? In Sander? That's wishful thinking," Gerard said.

"A king's gotta save money somehow," Chung said.

"Uh… both of them?" Zudrich asked.

Chung shrugged, "Or whoever is still alive by the time we arrive to clean up their mess. I just hope that the demon can hold his own against Ara."

Far unlike Garpai village, whose roads were built in small condensed blocks, The road leading towards the Wind Temple village's east exit traveled along a massive dune that circled the southern half of the partially submerged temple ruins. Two-story homes of villagers lined this particular road with the half-buried temple acting as a natural shade for the citizens. The roar of the dunerunner broke the silence as the vehicle sped down the empty street with little to no obstacles in the way.

"There's the exit!" Gerard pointed at a distant gatehouse flanked on either side by security barracks. At this time, even the guards have yet to be fully roused for the day's shift as only one soldier seemed to be standing watch at the very end.

"Please don't be a checkpoint," Chung whispered under his breath as the speeding dunerunner drew closer.

Seeing the approaching travelers, the guard quickly waved them down to stop, even going as far as standing directly in their path to stop them.

"Ugh… great," Chung sighed. He quickly scanned the rows of houses for any sign of movement as Gerard hit the brakes, bringing the speeding vehicle to a crawl until it came to a halt before the guard. "It looks clear. Zudrich and I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Just do as the guy says and you'll be out of here." The king nodded at his guardian and they both disembarked with Zudrich watching the rear of their ride.

"Going somewhere in a hurry?" the soldier yawned, inspecting the driver and his passengers.

Gerard took a deep breath, giving himself a second to recompose himself. He straightened his posture, putting on the face of a proper nobleman and addressed the guard with an air of authority. "Important business in a neighboring city. Step aside. I must be on my way," Gerard replied. The nervousness in his disposition was almost gone. Almost. Beneath his calm demeanor, could just barely make out the trembling in the man's voice. What was he so nervous about? It was just a minor road bump.

"Can't do that, sir," the soldier smiled, shaking his head, "Mind if I inspect your cargo? Standard protocol for a mining village. Can't let people run off with our goods."

"Damn… of course he'd ask for an inspection," Chung grumbled. He just wanted to get this check up over with. The sooner they leave, the better.

Gerard, however, seemed to think otherwise. "With all due respect, kind sir, I'm in a hurry."

"Aren't we all?" the soldier replied before motioning for him to comply, "I'll only be a moment. So if you please-"

"I'd rather not."

The soldier's eyes narrowed at the archmage and Chung noted the way the soldier's hand tightened around his spear. What was going on? Why was Gerard making a scene? Yes, they were in a hurry, but at this rate, they were only delaying their escape from the village.

"It's protocol, sir," the guard said, "Or would you rather we do this the hard way."

Chung looked from soldier to mage locked in an intense staredown. They were taking too long. The longer they waited the more likely they'd risk being found. "Gerard? What are you doing? He said it's just going to be quick. Just let him have a look and we'll be done with."

"There's a presence here, Chung," Gerard whispered back, "A powerful one."

Chung's eyes widened as he searched his surroundings once more. Nothing. No one but the guard.

"Is it Ara? Where is she?"

"No. Someone far more powerful."

"Who? Where?"

"I can't say. It would divert the string we've been following," the archmage turned to Chung, a nervous smile appearing on the man's face, "This is the most I can do. Don't mess this up."

"What?"

A lever was pulled, causing a clamour of metal gears to unwind. The east gate shut behind the soldier with a heavy clang and the man returned his attention to the travelers.

"Shut the engine off, sir. I won't say it twice," the lone soldier said.

Gerard straightened his posture, as he spoke in a threatening growl, "Make me."

An unexpected sneer appeared on the guard's face as he gladly complied to the archmage's order. He didn't call for help, nor did he attempt to shut the gate to prevent him from leaving. Instead, the soldier leapt at the mage. Despite lacking the obvious build and strength to do so, the soldier sailed clear over Chung's head with surprising agility. The spear was thrust forward, aimed square against the mage's chest.

Ever quick to react, the king grabbed the soldier by his leg, pulling him back down to the ground and cutting the strike short just millimeters away from hitting home. Chung pushed the soldier back with his free hand and by the time the man had regained his balance, he already found himself standing before a wall of Hamelian muscle and steel.

Zudrich was at his king's side, cannon held at a defensive guard stance as Chung stood, unarmed and open-palmed in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"That's… a little rash, don't you think?" Chung asked looking at the soldier then at Gerard who, at this point, had nearly fallen out of the driver seat, "I mean, outright attacking him for denying an inspection? We can resolve this without resorting to violence. Right, Gerard?"

"Give me… the girl," the soldier growled, raising his lance.

Chung blinked, "H-huh?" He took a step back from the soldier as the man appeared ready to pounce once more.

It took only a moment for Chung to process what he was asking. And by then, the man was already coming at him in a headlong charge.

Before Chung could even think to defend himself, Zudrich had already taken the initiative. With cannon raised as a shield, the guardian expertly blocked the lance and directed the pointed weapon away from his king. He shoved the guard back, causing the man to stumble and which Zudrich capitalized on, shouldering the man hard enough to cause him to completely lose his balance and fall flat on his back. Giving him no chance to recover, Zudrich stood on his arm and pressed the barrel of his cannon on the guard's chest, effectively pinning the man where he lay.

"Are you alright, Chung?" Zudrich said, looking over his shoulder at his king as the soldier struggled to break free under the weight of his weapon.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," Chung replied, lowering his guard, "Good thinking, subduing him like that."

"Well I wasn't going to kill him, if that's what you were expecting," Zudrich said with a shrug, "We have a nation to request help from. Killing their security force isn't exactly the best way to get on their good side, I think."

"But didn't you hear what he said before he attacked?"

"Not entirely," Zudrich said.

"He wanted us to 'give him the girl'."

"You mean… Anduran?"

Both of them looked back at the wagon and saw the priestess peeking over the back of the dunerunner at the two.

"I don't like this, Chung," Zudrich whispered.

"I don't either. We have to get Gerard and his family out of here and fast," The young king said and made for the gate controls.

The soldier continued to struggle underneath the weight of Zudrich's weapon. The guardian was beginning to have a hard time keeping the man properly pinned despite all of the weight. No normal human would have been able to lift the cannon, but Zudrich grew increasingly aware of how strong this one was.

"Chung. You might want to hurry. This guy's going to break free," Zudrich grunted, kneeling down to hold the man down. The soldier was practically screaming at the top of his lungs. At this point, even with Zudrich's superhuman strength, he was struggling to keep him down. "What the hells is wrong with you?!"

"Hang on!" Chung said, winding the crank that slowly opened the gate, "Gerard! Something's not right with the guy! Be ready to leave! I'm going to get the gate open for you as quickly as possible!"

Chung picked up the pace, turning the crank as fast as his arms would allow him. But with each rotation he could hear Zudrich beginning to lose the fight and only when the gate was beginning to rise did he hear his companion let out a pained yelp.

Chung spun around just in time to see a dagger being driven into his guardian's shoulder. Zudrich pulled away, yanking the blade out with his good arm right when the soldier picked up his lance and attacked. With his cannon out of reach, Zudrich was defenseless.

The young king dropped the crank, causing the entire thing to roll closed once more, and moved to save Zudrich.

He wasn't close enough.

At his distance, it was impossible for him to reach Zudrich in time. With Gerard and his family standing at the opposite end of the scene, firing a cannonball would certainly lead to them getting hit.

He couldn't save him.

Suddenly something darted into view. It traveled faster than Chung had a chance to see as the object flew directly into the soldier's path. It had struck the soldier along his face with enough force to alter his flight path and send him crashing onto the hard gravel road.

The object rolled to a stop as Chung slowly came to realize the object was actually a person. A child, even. Cloaked in a ragged blue cloak, the child remained kneeling on the ground, a wicked blue and black gauntlet that appeared too large and heavy for a child to carry, peeked out from under the cloak.

"I thought I told that useless servant of mine to send you towards the west gate," the child said, her breath labored as she steadied herself on her feet. She hefted the gauntlet at her side and pulled off her hood with her other ungloved hand, revealing thick white locks of hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the rising sun. What stood out most, however, were the small, blue and black horns protruding underneath her messy mat of hair.

"Well... whatever," the demoness said, wearily wiping a bead of sweat trickling down along her jawline. She began motioning at the guard who cupped at the bleeding claw mark at the side of his face. "It made finding _you_ easier!"

"Find us?" Chung asked, bewildered. He recognized her stature as the same from the alleyway from the previous night. It was Lu. Without a second thought he turned the weapon towards the demoness. "So you _were_ setting up an ambush!"

"What...? No, not you, you doofus!" Lu gasped, "I meant her!"

She pointed at the soldier and Chung was confused as to who she was referring to.

"Or… at least her puppet. Well? Go on then," Lu urged, strength quickly fading in her voice, "Finish her puppet off while you can. I can't… do all the work… my-"

The little demoness lost her balance, flopping unceremoniously forward as her legs gave.

"Lu!" Zudrich made a move for the demoness but was interrupted by the soldier who came at him once more with renewed, bloody, vigor.

This time, however, Chung was there to stop him. The king closed the distance, bringing the sharpened end of his cannon down on the lance and snapping the weapon in half in the middle of the soldier's charge. The soldier, still caught mid-charge, ran headlong into the grounded cannon, knocking him into a daze that Chung followed up by kicking the man to the ground.

"I don't know what she meant by him being a puppet," Chung said, pinning the man to the floor as he swung his weapon up and over his head, "But, puppet or not, I'm not going to standby and let this person threaten the lives of my friends."

The king brought the blunt edge of the cannon down on the soldier's head. All forms of struggling ceased as the man's body went limp. Chung looked up at the wagon where Gerard and his family witnessed the whole exchange. He signaled to Nerin twirling his finger and motioning at the kids to which the Caluso woman nodded and urged the kids to turn away.

Chung pulled the cannon up, checking on the lifeless soldier. The glimpse of flattened flesh was enough of an answer for the king as he turned his gaze away towards Gerard who was settling back onto his seat.

"You alright? He almost got you there."

"Unscathed, thankfully. And what of Zudrich?"

They both looked at the guardian who's shoulder wound trickled blood over the upper left half of his chest plates.

"I'm fine. Managed to get me right at the armor joints," He winced, trying to roll his shoulder but the sharp pain quickly prevented him from doing that. He turned his attention towards the body on the ground. "Still can't believe you just killed him."

"He was going to hurt you guys," Chung shrugged.

"But he was under some kind of spell. He was a puppet like Lu said. He was an innocent man."

"Innocent or not, he was trying to hurt people. We don't always have the time or luxury to save others from what's afflicting them. Sometimes this is the best option."

"That goes against the paladin's code," Zudrich grumbled.

Chung changed the subject, turning the conversation towards his guardian as he looked at Zudrich's wound. "That looks really deep," The dagger laying on the ground was covered up to its hilt in blood. Judging by the way his wound was still gushing, Zudrich was in a lot more pain that he let on, "Nerin? There should be some bandages stored in one of our bags. We'll have to put some pressure on it before-"

"Don't worry about it," Zudrich waved, "Get that gate open first. We have to get them safely out of this village while we have a moment to breathe."

"Right. On it," Chung said and quickly moved to open the gate.

The steady rhythm of gears turning started up once more as the heavy iron gates began to roll upward. What normally would have taken two men to operate, the king easily managed by himself. As he continued turning the crank, Chung caught Zudrich picking up the downed demoness and quickly carrying it to the back of the wagon. Unsure why Zudrich was doing this, Chung hurried to get the job done to ask what his guardian was doing.

"Ah, so that's what happened to my little minion," an unfamiliar feminine voice said just as the gate was locked open, "Ugh, I knew I should've put more on duty instead of just one… But I suppose that's the price I pay for being lazy."

Chung stepped back, searching his surroundings only to notice a silhouette of a winged figure cast on the ground by the rising eastern sun. He turned his gaze upwards, following the shadows where he spotted a rather peculiar looking demon perched on top of the gatehouse.

The first thing the king noticed were the large bat wings tucked behind the female as well as the pointed demon tail that swished lazily as it dangled over the edge. She had crimson red hair tied into two pigtails and wore a get up that hugged much of her body and left little to the viewer's imagination. Her long black stockings and leather gloves only complimented her rather revealing attire, giving her an overwhelmingly seductive aura that, had she not been easily identified as a demon, Chung would have had a hard time keeping his eyes off her.

"You're a succubus!" Chung growled, alerting the others to her presence. Although Chung had never seen one before, the stories and accounts he had heard from others made it obvious enough.

The succubus smiled at him as her eyes traveled up and down his body, "And you're awfully far from home, Hamelian. Name's Karis. A pleasure to meet you. What's a handsome young man like you doing in my part of town?"

"If you're here for Anduran, you'll have to get through us first!" Chung said, aiming his cannon at the demon. He couldn't pull the trigger just yet. Doing so might risk destroying the gate.

Karis clapped her hands together at the mention of the priestess's name. "So the cute little priestess IS here! My spies were correct after all!"

She snapped her fingers and suddenly the doors to the gatehouse flew open. A handful of soldiers filed out barring passage through the gate. Clearly under the succubus's control, the men immediately pointed their lances at the king and closed in on him, forcing Chung to step back.

"Chung! We're surrounded!" Zudrich yelped as Chung turned to see even more soldiers had come out of the barracks and blocked the road back into the village. "They're all under some kind of mind control! What do we do, Chung?!"

The king took another step back, he scanned for any kind of opening for escape but found the narrow street made it impossible for the dunerunner to go anywhere but forward or back.

"Bring me the priestess. Alive," the succubus ordered, "Do what you must with the rest."

Without another word, the soldiers rapidly closed in on the group, blades trained at their nearest targets.

Chung gritted his teeth and turned to his guardian, "We have no choice! Kill them!" He fired his cannon and heard Zudrich open fire as well. The first cannonball hit his center target, the explosion completely obliterating everything above the waist and forcing the adjacent soldiers to be pushed by the blast.

His second shot narrowly missed, not taking into account the push of his first explosion, the cannonball struck the side of the gatehouse, causing most of the pillar supporting the structure to crumble.

"Allow me to assist," Gerard said, placing his hands on the ground and creating a gold and white spell circle that rapidly expanded outwards into a protective ring around the dunerunner. The ring projected a transparent barrier that brought the attack to a near standstill. As the soldiers passed through the magical field, their movement slowed to a crawl. Even the ones leaping in mid air moved at a snail's pace bringing their weapons down on Chung.

Not wanting to see how long the spell would last, Zudrich and Chung capitalized on this opportunity, switching to melee and pummelling each suspended soldier before the time-altering spell ended. The spell wore off as the last of the soldiers was struck and, upon ending, the momentum of each blow caught up with them and their bodies were sent flying in several different directions, leaving only the succubus standing in their way.

"Oh my," the succubus said, biting her lower lip as she eyed the king standing defiantly before her, "Who knew sitting back and watching you work would get me so… worked up. It makes me want to join in on the fun now."

"Step aside," Chung warned, "Or don't. I'd be more than happy to kill you as well."

The succubus giggled, clearly unfazed by his threat.

She leapt from her high-perch, her wings slowing her descent at the final moment just before she hit the ground. Yet as soon as her heels touched sand, she faded away. Bewildered, Chung remained on guard, swiveling his head around to search for her.

"Ah… that scent upon you," Karis's voice seemed to echo all around him. Her footsteps appeared on the sand directly from where she vanished and they appeared to be walking straight for him. "It's a nostalgic scent. Not my ideal emotion but delicious nonetheless. I know what ails you… Chung, was it? I know the burden you carry. The guilt. The longing."

Chung watched the timing of each step. He pulled back his weapon and swung right where Karis was supposed to be but hit nothing but air.

"Sorry, handsome, as much as I'd love to play with you," her form reappeared hovering just above his cannon swing. Cold steel could be felt caressing the back of his neck and he stared wide-eyed at the large scythe curled around behind him, pulling him ever closer to the succubus's face. "I have more important things to worry about… so you'll just have to settle with this."

She leaned forward, planting an unnaturally cold kiss on the king's lips.

In that instant, the king's body locked up. His body refused to respond as he stood there, completely frozen in that position. He tried to call for help but even his lungs wouldn't let him breathe.

Karis floated away, her form vanishing once more just as Zudrich arrived to protect the wagon. Chung couldn't see what was going on but the sudden silence of weighted armor moving behind him was enough of a tell of Zudrich's fate.

The sound of a heavy strike caught Chung's attention. Gerard was thrown to the side, landing on the ground at the edge of Chung's peripherals as Edwin could be heard crying out from within the wagon.

"Come now, priestess," Karis cooed, "How about you and I go someplace… quiet?"

Suddenly the succubus howled loudly in pain. In that instant, Chung's body loosened as he nearly fell to the ground by the sudden shift in his weight. Turning to the wagon, he saw the smaller demon, Lu, standing at the wagon's entrance, gauntlet burning with a blue and black flame. Karis was in the air, clutching her face as blood rolled freely down the succubus's neck.

"Sorry, Karis!" Lu grinned, "You had something on your face and I just had to rake it off!"

"Luciela?! You're alive?!"

With Karis temporarily blinded, another figure sprang into the scene. His gunblade severed the demon's wing and he spun mid-air, landing a spinning kick that sent the succubus crashing into the ruined barracks.

"You're late, Ciel!" Lu scolded as the taller demon landed atop the dune runner's driver seat.

"My apologies, Lu," he said, remaining on guard with his gunblades pointed at the barracks, "The fox woman was far more formidable than I had anticipated."

"Well that explains why I was so weak during my grand entrance! I looked like a damned fool because of you!"

"Again, my apologies."

"Well?" Lu turned to the two Hamelians, "Up and at 'em! We're getting out of here!"

"Stay… away from Anduran!" Chung said, finally regaining the rest of his strength.

"After watching you two completely fail at protecting her? As if! Get the old geezer up. We're leaving!" Lu ordered.

"Old… geezer, huh?" the archmage said, clutching at a broken arm as he shuffled his way to the dunerunner. There was no sign of distress on Gerard's end as he approached the demons as even Ciel moved aside to let the archmage take his seat.

Even Zudrich hurried to board the wagon, leaving Chung stunned and confused as to why everyone seemed so open about letting those demons hitch a ride with them.

"What are- what's going on?!" Chung asked, completely at a loss for words at this point.

"Sorry, Chung," Gerard said as he started the engine, "This was the best outcome I could find. Now, are you coming along or not?"

"I… what?! With them? But what about our ship to Sander?"

"Chung," Zudrich hung out of the back, offering the king a hand, "The trip to Sander has to wait. We can't stay here."

"But," Chung pointed at the two demons, "With them?!"

"It's… a bit complicated. I'll explain later. We can't stay here much longer." Zudrich said.

"It's okay, I won't bite~" the demoness said, coaxing him with her gauntlet to join them.

The piles of brick and wood began to churn under the barracks, catching the immediate attention of everyone.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to kill Karis," Lu said, "If you want to sit around and fight her, be my guest. But we're leaving. C'mon old man! Let's go!"

"I'm not that old," Gerard muttered, shifting the dunerunner into gear.

"C'mon," Zudrich urged, holding his hand out to his king, "It'll be fine."

The pile of rubble lurched once more and a hand broke free.

"Time's ticking," Gerard warned.

Gritting his teeth, Chung took Zudrich's hand and Gerard hit the throttle, rocketting the dunerunner out of the village.

As Zudrich pulled him into the wagon, the king looked over the others to see how they were doing. Anduran, Nerin, and Edwin all looked relatively unscathed. Gerard's arm was broken, it appeared, judging by the way it was cradled on his lap as he drove. Of the group, Edwin seemed the most shaken by the experience, clutching at his mother while Lu and Ciel took their seats far and away from the rest of the group.

As the Hamelians passed the two newest passengers, the demoness gave them both a smug smile before turning to sit near the front.

"Thanks for the help last night," the demoness whispered towards Zudrich.

"Just doing what I thought was right," the guardian replied, taking a seat across from his king. He didn't say anything to Chung even though he very much wanted an explanation. But seeing the way Zudrich refused to look him in the eye regarding that issue, he figured it was best to ask later.

For now, he needed to figure out just how the hells he would get to Sander now.


	13. Chapter 12: Boundaries

The ride through the desert had been silent, save for Edwin complaining about the heat and his mother's reassurance that they'd be out of the sun soon. Other than that, not a word was exchanged between any of the passengers - especially between the Hamelians and their two newest additions to the group: Lu and Ciel.

The tension between the two sides was palpable even for Gerard as he weaved his way around the seemingly endless sea of sand dunes. The archmage had been looking for a way to break the silence since the Wind Temple Ruins had vanished in the horizon, but seeing as Chung appeared completely against the idea of even breathing the same air as the demons, it was difficult for Gerard to find the right thing to say.

As for the king himself, he was at a loss. It didn't take much for Chung to put the pieces together when Lu thanked Zudrich for his help and it was only confirmed when the fury guardian explained the situation.

Zudrich had given Lu some of his El during their first meeting. It wasn't much but it was just enough to last her a few hours. Zudrich had expected Chung to set up a night watch and specifically volunteered to take the second half of the watch, which gave him enough time to channel more of his El for Lu to feed on. That was what gave her enough energy to combat Karis and was the reason why Ciel was "returning the favor" the following morning.

To think his guardian would act directly against the king's orders- especially in favor of an enemy of their kingdom- was something Chung could not ignore. To make things worse, Zudrich had an accomplice.

During the encounter with Karis, Zudrich had carried Lu to Anduran's side who willingly gave the dying demon her own El. The priestess's purified magical essence was much stronger than any other normal source and was enough to stabilize Lu's presence in the mortal realm… which explained why Lu and Ciel looked much stronger than they had earlier that morning.

Stealing a glance at the demons, it was easy for Chung to see that the child was no longer teetering at the brink of death like she had been the previous night. In fact, her deep blue eyes held a glimmer of vitality he could only describe as youthful vigor - due in no small part to the fact that she looked like a young girl to begin with. Dressed like a poor vagabond, the only real article of clothing visible under her cloak was a pair of shorts and ripped stockings - all of which were different shades of blue. Her tail, a thin, light-blue appendage tipped like a spearhead at the end, was wrapped around one of her legs, nearly blending in with her striped stockings and appeared like it was as long as she was tall. Pinkish-white hair billowed messily out of the hood of her cloak so it was difficult to notice the demon's horns unless one actively looked for it. Any passerby would see nothing more than a kid. Which brought about another question as he looked her over: why did she look like a child in the first place?

"So does blondy always stare or is today some kind of special occasion?" Lu glowered, a glimmering blue eye stared daggers at the Hamelian as she pulled the hood further over her head, "Because if I'm going to be working with him, I'd like to know if something's on my face or if it's really nothing to worry about."

"It's none of your concern, demon," Chung replied, turning his head away with a grunt.

"Ah, he speaks," Lu motioned with her hands, exposing a bare belly underneath the cloak, "Thank hells. I was beginning to think you were the serious, silent type like Ciel over here. Super boring and a terrible conversationalist. You know you shouldn't frown so often. Puts wrinkles on your skin."

The slight directed at her partner didn't seem to bother Ciel as he neither acknowledged nor rejected the statement and simply kept his eyes trained towards the distant horizon behind them as he hung out at the back of the wagon.

"I'm very much capable of talking, thank you!" Chung replied, "You know exactly what's bothering me! And just so we're clear: you are _not_ working with us!"

"My, so hostile towards the one who _literally_ saved you and your friends from a slow, agonizing death! I bet you're great with the ladies, as well."

"Shut up!"

"Telling a little girl like me to shush? Oh, we definitely have a keeper, here."

Chung refused to respond any further, ignoring Lu's provocations as she slung more and more in his direction before giving up entirely. After having wanted the silence to end among the travelers, the rest of the group seemed to breathe a concerted sigh of relief once things quieted down once more. And the wordless trip would continue until late that afternoon when Gerard's El battery ran out of energy for the day.

* * *

"Are you sure it's a good idea to send those two hunting for food?" Chung asked Gerard as the king warily watched the two demons disappear over the dunes. He turned his attention back to the family once he was sure the demons were out of sight. Zudrich had already volunteered to take care of the heavy lifting on Nerin's behalf, moving out the heavy supplies from the back of the wagon to make room while Anduran unrolled the beds for her aunt and uncle.

Gerard didn't even look up from his work of breaking down one of the unneeded wooden boxes for tinder for a fire, "Would you prefer they stay here with my family while I send you and Zudrich out to hunt, instead? This is your first time visiting Sander, too, isn't it? Are you aware of our region's unique fauna? Do you know what to look for when hunting in a desert?"

"No. To all of those," Chung muttered in defeat.

Gerard nodded, "I think it's best we leave them to take care of that for us. They survived well over a month without a roof over their heads, after all."

"A month?" Chung cocked a brow at the archmage, moving to help him lay out the bedrolls and set up the cooking pot over the campfire, "How'd you know they've been around for a month?"

"Just an estimate. Typically demons, without a source of El to keep them grounded in our realm, last three, maybe four, days before being reduced to dust."

"Grounded…? Reduced to dust? I'm sorry, I don't know much about demons. I just know how to kill them."

"Ah, forgive me," Gerard chuckled, "I forget that not everyone is well versed in demonology."

Gerard tapped his chin in thought, squinting at Chung at the corner of his eye as if trying to give the layman's terms of layman's terms regarding demon physiology. Again, Chung couldn't tell if the archmage was subtly insulting him or if he genuinely meant what he said.

"El shards are an otherworldly object's go-to 'battery', if you will. Moving from one plane of reality to another is not an easy task and anything, be it living or inanimate, can quickly deteriorate when it's not in the realm they originated from. If you, for example, ended up in the demon realm, your body would be unable to draw El or any other life force the same way you naturally would here in ours. Without a source of power, your body would be reduced to dimensional dust in a matter of a few hours."

"Hours? Not days?"

"Unlike you and I, demons are naturally built for conquest. Invading realms is what they do, after all."

"But why do they invade realms?"

Gerard shrugged his shoulders, "In all my years of purging demons as an inquisitor, I've never found the opportunity to sit down with one and discuss the in's and out's of their culture over a cup of tea. If you're so inclined to know, you have two perfect specimens to question just beyond that dune."

"I'm not talking to those two," Chung insisted, "For all we know they could just lie through their teeth as demons do."

"They could," Gerard agreed, "But you're also denying yourself knowledge that is within your reach. If I were a decade or two younger I would have agreed with you on your decision. But I'm older and a tad more… indifferent… towards the acquisition of knowledge, Chung: There is a difference between knowing who's your enemy and _understanding_ those you perceive to be your enemy. I hope one day you'd come to see things on all sides of the spectrum rather than the front that is presented to you."

Chung had a hard time understanding what it was Gerard was trying to say. Was he implying that he should give those two a chance?

Like hells he would.

Since as long as he could remember, he had been fighting against those monsters. Those beasts destroyed his home. They slaughtered thousands of innocents and when Chung fought back, they only responded with equal, if not increased ferocity.

He can still vividly recall the torture and execution of Noah's Royal Guard Julius; the stench of hundreds of rotting corpses as they killed off each and every soldier one by one in the ancient waterway. He saw no remorse in the demon-corrupted dark elves as they twisted and turned the arrow shaft in Elsword's gut as he lay there helplessly in Velder.

To give a demon a chance would go against everything he had sacrificed to get him this far.

"I wanna light it!" Edwin said, hopping out of the wagon and kicking up sand as he strode over to the campfire Gerard had just finished constructing. "I wanna light it! I wanna light it! I wanna light it!"

"Okay, Edwin," Gerard sighed. He put his arms up to still the child who, at this point, was jumping up and down in a mini tantrum, "Okay, calm down first and then you I'll let you."

"I wanna light it!" Edwin screamed.

"If you don't quiet down then I won't let you light anything ever again. You don't want that, do you?"

"No!"

"Then calm… down…"

"I wanna light it, though…"

"Shush," Gerard cooed, placing his hands on the young boy's shoulders. Edwin's shoulders relaxed yet his eyes stared at the kindling like a vulture would its prey.

"I don't think I've seen any matches…" Chung muttered, looking around the campsite for a means to start the fire.

"I don't need matches!" Edwin declared, "Watch!"

Gerard tried once more to hush his son."Okay, okay, Edwin… calm. Calm down."

Ignoring his father, the child raised his hands, his eyes widening as he uttered a phrase that Chung couldn't help but recognize. It was familiar in a way that sent a nostalgic chill down his spine as the boy shouted it outloud.

It was a fire spell.

The collection of wood popped loudly as the rapid rise in temperature expanded the wood from the inside, splitting the timber as the flames sputtered out of the cracks.

It was sudden, and the heat was enough to force Chung to step back from the fire as the initial pillar quickly died down into a calm, manageable, flame.

As the fires waned, Chung looked over the campfire, half expecting to see Aisha standing on the other end.

"Edwin, I said you had to calm down! You could have hurt yourself," Gerard scolded his son who was ignoring him and currently wearing a smug grin as large as the recent flash fire.

"Where'd your kid learn to do something like that?" Zudrich asked, hoping out of the wagon with the last wooden box on hand.

"From me," Gerard said with a sigh directed at his son, "It's only natural for an archmage to teach some magic to their offspring."

"Papa says I'm a genius," Edwin declared, rather proud of himself, "He says that I'll one day be the best mage there is, ever!"

"A genius, huh?" Zudrich snorted, "Try not to let that get to your head."

"Well, to be fair he's learning at a much faster rate than your average mage," Gerard said.

Chung nodded, "I actually had a mage friend as well. Compared to what she could do, Edwin's getting there in terms of raw power."

"See?" Edwin said, sticking his tongue out at Zudrich, "And I'll be much stronger than your dumb friend, as well."

"Hey! You take that back you little-" Zudrich snarled at the young boy, only to be stopped as he locked eyes with his king.

Chung shook his head silently at the guardian, immediately prompting him to stand down. It was easy to see, however, how hard the king was biting on his own tongue.

"Edwin," Gerard gripped the boys arm tightly, "You shouldn't be saying that about other people. Especially towards his majesty's friends. It's not nice."

"It's fine," Chung said, clearly withholding the urge to tell the kid off, "He probably would surpass her, eventually. She's dead."

"Ah… I… had no idea. My deepest condolences," Gerard said before squeezing harder on his son's arm, "There, now look what happened. Apologize to Chung, immediately."

"Sorry," Edwin blurted out before quickly moving from his half-hearted apology to a more pressing matter, "How'd she die?"

"Edwin! That's enough!"

"She died in battle," Chung responded rather bluntly, "She saved my life at the cost of her own."

Edwin tilted his head, "How did she die?"

"Edwin!" Nerin called from the back of the wagon, "Come here! Time to get changed!"

"Later, ma!" Edwin shouted back.

Gerard put his hands on his boy's shoulders and directed him out and away from the campfire towards his mother. "Go do as your mother says," he ordered firmly enough to pull Edwin's attention away from the king.

Thankfully, Edwin did as he was told and he hurried off to his mother's side, leaving Zudrich, Gerard, and Chung to tend to the flames.

Gerard took his seat by the fire, poking at the charcoal beginning to build as he stole glances at the young king sitting across from him.

"I'm, uh, sorry for my son's behaviour. I had no idea-"

"It's fine, really," Chung replied forcing a smile on his face as he sat on the sand, "I brought up the topic and you both didn't know. Edwin's curiosity is… tolerable."

"Again, I'm sorry," Gerard shook his head, "As a parent there's a fine line between giving your son future opportunities and outright spoiling him. I fear we've crossed that line a couple years back. The luxurious lifestyle I've given him is all he knows. Save for one other time we've had to relocate, my son is not used to life outside of our estate."

"Really, don't worry about it. The reason why I brought her up was I was actually trying to work my way into asking you something."

"Oh? And what was your question?"

"The whole… magic thing: I don't need to tell you that I know little to nothing about how to cast spells, but in all my years of being around my mage friend, I've never seen her use the kind of magic you use."

"Ah…" Gerard nodded.

"The whole… string thing that you did earlier today? What is it, exactly?"

"Time magic," Gerard answered bluntly.

"How does it work?"

The archmage chuckled, shaking his head, "Oh, where to begin?"

"Is it really that complicated?"

"Short answer: yes. Long answer: Absolutely, yes. To explain the intricacies of the string spell in detail would take several lifetimes of learning just the basics."

"Then how did you come about learning it?"

"I'm an archmage capable of manipulating time. I hope that answers that question. But on to your original question… how can I simplify this…"

Gerard grabbed the iron poker he was using to churn the fire and used it to mark a dot on the empty sand.

"Imagine this dot is a single moment in time and space…" he traced a line outward stopping at another point, "Time for you, as you perceive it, is the movement from one point to another like so. As you move through time, you are essentially moving from one point to another. Correct?"

Chung shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

"Wrong!" Gerard then proceeded to use the line radially, drawing a circle around his initial point, "Time isn't a line but rather an area. To move from the central point to the outer edge one is free to twist and turn as they please."

He then proceeded to draw a second line, this time with curves and arcs that moved outward until eventually reaching the second point on the outer edge of the circle.

"Within this circle… every millimeter of square area represents millions - no, trillions - of possibilities when traveling from one point of time to another. The path you take to get to the outer edge is what is known as a string. To the average person, they see nothing but the string: the single straight line from one point to the other… but to a time mage, you see everything around it. The time mage has the ability to see every turn, every split in the thread. They are essentially gazing into what is colloquially known as the 'Everything'."

"The 'Everything'...?" Chung rubbed his chin in thought. He felt like he had heard that term used before but he couldn't quite pin from who he heard it from.

"I'm lost," Zudrich chimed in, "So we're not traveling in a straight line?"

"No, you never do," Gerard explained, "but before I confuse you even more we'll leave the basics at that. What you've seen me do, in regards to manipulating the strings is far from manipulation at all. When I use that spell I find the ideal string for us to follow. I memorize key junctions and events that lead us along its path, and try to recreate it in the present."

Chung recalled back to when they were in the stables getting ready to leave. He remembered how Gerard's tone of speaking felt robotic… as if he were reading lines to a play. He also recalled the moment he stood directly in the guard's path, unflinching if not a bit nervous as he waited for a spear to almost be driven into him. That meant…

"So you knew Lu and Ciel would come to our aid," Chung muttered.

Gerard nodded, "When timed correctly, it was the only way we would have survived that encounter without casualties."

"Without casualties… So that means-"

"It was our best option. I preferred a scenario where my family escaped with their limbs and lives intact and I surmised you would have preferred the same for you and Zudrich, so, despite your apparent distrust of demons, I had to compromise in my choices."

"So then will they betray us? Lu and Ciel, I mean."

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

Gerard sighed, "A number of reasons. The string spell has its usage limits and even if I did know, telling you its result will most definitely alter the string's path entirely."

"But wouldn't you use it whenever you could to get the best outcome all the time? Does it require a lot of El to use?"

"No. It's actually quite easy on the El reserves when you cast it. I have a set limit on how often I can use it."

"Why would you willingly stop yourself from always gaining the advantage?"

Gerard's face grew serious as he turned his gaze to the burning embers. Chung felt as if he had stepped on a landmine as there was a long, uncomfortable pause in the way he searched for an explanation.

"And now we have arrived at the crux of why I am no longer part of the inquisition and have been dismissed from the Seven Tower organization. There are laws in place that dictates what is and what isn't considered 'forbidden' schools of magic and I would have been more surprised if your friend _had_ been using the string spell as opposed to outright avoiding it."

"Time magic is forbidden?"

"Time and space, yes," Gerard nodded, "To wield such power recklessly would go against the laws set forth by Seven Tower and result in rather… harsh consequences."

"But you're all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. How would Seven Tower catch you-"

"It wouldn't be the organization or the inquisition that would apprehend you… No, something far worse would be sent to hunt you down."

Chung's brow furrowed as he leaned closer, "Who?"

"The Cult of Henir."

"The Cult of Henir… where have I heard this before…"

"The dark god," Gerard continued, "He who governs the very existence of time and space itself! Surely you've at least read about him! He is more than just a celestial being he IS the 'Everything' and he guards what belongs to him very closely. Control the elements of his domain if you will, but it is he that you answer to when you recklessly abuse his gift. By using the string spell I tap into that well of knowledge that he watches over. If I, or any mage with some semblance of sanity, ever overstep our bounds, I cannot imagine what horrors await us. And that is why the Seven Tower forbids the use of Time magic."

"How do you know if you've overstepped this boundary?"

"You'll know," Gerard nodded, "My time as an inquisitor had led me in a direct collision course with this cult more than once. They waste no time in their work. The moment one crosses that line, they appear, they apprehend their victim, and they vanish without a trace. What they do to the victim is beyond my knowledge. I just know that they're never seen again."

The archmage glanced at Chung, clearly entertained by the expression on the young king's face. Did he really look that mortified to the archmage?

"Is everything making sense, Chung? I don't want to have lectured you only to learn that I've lost you long ago."

"No, it's nothing like that, Gerard. It's just that… I think I've heard about bits and pieces of what you've told me before. I just can't remember from who."

"Perhaps your mage friend?"

"No. Definitely not her. She avoided talking about time and space magic entirely."

"Well, regardless, do you understand my hesitancy in using time magic? It is powerful in a pinch, but reckless use can lead to… unfavorable consequences."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it."

At the corner of Chung's eye he saw Zudrich look up from the conversation before rising to his feet. Chung followed his gaze back towards the top of the nearby dune where the demoness could be seen waving to get their attention.

"Hey! A little help here?" Lu called, her voice barely reaching their ears at the bottom of the dune.

Chung looked to Zudrich and the two of them moved to see what the issue was. As Chung and his guardian's feet sunk into the sand while they climbed, the king became acutely aware that of the two of them, only he was carrying his cannon.

"Aren't you forgetting your weapon?" Chung snorted, getting a half-shrug from Zudrich.

"I don't see a reason to, Chung. I trust them."

"I don't."

"I can see that."

"Can you two move any slower? I'm starving!" Lu said, tapping her foot at the sandy peak.

"See? She's going to eat us," Chung pointed out, clearly trying to remove any tension between him and his companion.

Zudrich shook his head, a small, but relaxed smile appearing for the first time in what Chung felt had been weeks. "You're just trying to find any reason to kill them, aren't you?"

"Not at all. Whatever gave you that idea?" the king chuckled before the smile faded and his serious tone returned, "You know I can't ever trust those two."

"I know, my king. I know."

They reached the top and Lu turned, pointing at the opposite end of the dune they scaled. Against the pale grey sand illuminated by moonlight was Ciel who, at that moment, was struggling to drag the corpse of what appeared to be a seal up the gentle slope of the dune.

"Well? Are you two going to stand there and gawp or are you going to help my servant bring me my dinner?"

"Zudrich?" Chung called, to which his companion wordlessly moved to assist.

He watched as Zudrich hurried downhill, leaving the king alone with the demoness at the peak.

"So he's your servant, huh?" Chung said, keeping his hand on the cannon's grip as he watched for any suspicious movement on Ciel's part.

"I know, right?" Lu snorted, "Absolutely useless. Can't even carry a sand seal up a hill."

"A sand seal... First time seeing one."

"They're fat, juicy, and weigh a ton. Perfect for a big meal."

"And you just expected him to carry that alone?"

"Well, yeah. But clearly I underestimated just how useless he is. Which is why I'm having you two help."

"You know, you could've helped your servant, too," Chung suggested.

Lu pouted at the king, clasping her hands together over her chest as she traced circles on the sand with her foot. "Asking a poor little girl like me to do the heavy lifting? How cruel!" She gave Chung a toothy grin before standing with her hands on her hips. "Please! As Chiliarch of the Sourcream Legion, gruntwork like that is beneath me."

"Sourcream…?" Chung cocked a brow at her.

"What? You got a problem with my clan name?"

"No. Not really. It's just that… of all the intimidating names one could have for a demon clan-"

"Oh? And what in hells is a _Chung_?" Lu fired back, "What, did your mother bang pots and pans together for inspiration when she named you?"

"Say that again, demon," Chung growled, gripping the cannon slung on his shoulder.

"She must've, seeing as how you clearly can't hear me!"

"Glad to see you two are getting along," Zudrich sighed as he carried the dead seal on his shoulder.

"Oh we're just peachy," Lu snarled, not taking her eyes off of the king, "We were just exchanging pleasantries. Ain't that right, blondy?"

Not wanting to get roped into another spat with the demoness he turned from her. "Let's go, Zudrich. We got a family to feed."

"Tch. Giving up already? Coward," Lu grunted, bringing pause to the king's step.

"I have better things to do than argue with a child," Chung said, staring daggers into Lu over his shoulder, "But before we go, I'd like to set one thing straight: you can berate me all you want. But don't you ever - _ever_ \- speak ill of my mother. Consider this your only warning."

He left it at that, moving to help Zudrich carry the seal carcass back to camp.

With little knowledge on how to prepare the catch on Chung and Zudrich's part, it was up to Nerin and, surprisingly Ciel, to prepare the meal. An hour of cutting up and cooking would pass before plates of freshly cut seal steak were served on wooden platters for everyone gathered around the campfire. Though Chung didn't want to admit it, he was starving for food and was grateful for Ciel's unexpected expertise in skinning and dissecting the seal into edible portions.

As for the food itself… it was filling and nothing else. With no seasoning available, Chung chewed his way through a grainy, bitter-tasting steak that left a rather unpleasant aftertaste that Gerard and his family didn't seem to mind. Chung ultimately put it up to different regional tastes and left it at that. A meal was a meal, afterall.

It was when Chung was just about finished with his plate that Lu suddenly moved to sit next to him.

"Hey," Lu said, staring at the fire as she sat cross legged and draping her cloak over her form, "So? Whatcha think? Fresh caught sand seal, I mean. Hunted by yours truly, and served by her ever faithful servant."

"Hm," Chung responded. Lu waited for Chung to say more, but it was clear in the way he silently sipped his tea that he wasn't going to indulge her.

"So," Lu said, after a while, "About earlier - the whole… mother thing."

"Hm."

"I... didn't know."

There was a pause as Chung took the time to down the rest of his tea before pouring himself another hot brew. "That's odd coming from a demon."

"What is?"

"An apology."

Lu turned towards Chung and was visibly taken aback by that. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean? Demons are capable of compassion and remorse, you know!"

"It's news to me."

"Oh you mother f…" Lu bit on her knuckle to stop herself. She paused to take several breaths before starting anew.

"Listen. I get it. You're not pleasant to be around," Lu said, "But I was serious when I said I'd be working with you."

"And I've never agreed to it," Chung retorted.

"It's not a question of whether you do or not. You don't have a choice on the matter."

"Oh, I don't, do I?"

"And neither do I!" Lu continued, "What went on at the temple ruins? That was just scratching the surface of what's really going on and the fact Karis is operating in this area confirms it. Something big is going to happen and I think it was fate that brought us together."

"Fate, huh? Not some time mage manipulating strings?"

"What?"

"Nothing. What's your point, demon?"

"My point is our goals are the same. We both want to keep the priestess safe and we both have business in Sander's capital."

"How did you know we're going to the capital?"

"Oh please, you wouldn't shut up about it last night and I have these things called ears, you know," Lu said. She then turned to Chung, extending a hand towards him, "So I was thinking: a truce. Since we're going to be practically traveling together, we should set our differences aside and-"

Chung smacked the hand away before returning to his meal. The others didn't seem to notice the interaction between the two as the tension reached a boiling point between them. He stuffed the rest of the steak down his throat, before speaking, making sure to let the demon wait as he casually finished his dinner.

"The only reason I haven't killed you is because of what you did to protect us. That doesn't mean we're allies, or friends, or anything close to your idea of a team. I don't trust you. I never will."

"Listen, _human_ , you don't seem to understand the threat Karis poses to Sander. If she gets her way-"

"I couldn't care less about the in-fighting going on between you and your kind. I'm here to protect Anduran as long as you're still within spitting distance of her. And when you're gone, or dead, or both, I'll carry on with my business and go to Sander. I have a kingdom to rebuild and I'm way behind schedule as it is."

Lu ground her teeth as she looked as if she were ready to attack him. Chung was waiting for her to. He was looking for a reason as he quietly gripped the cannon at his side.

But she didn't. As bloodthirsty and ruthless Chung had expected the demoness to be, she showed an alarming amount of restraint.

With an audible huff that caught everyone else's attention she simply crossed her arms under her cloak and fumed almost as much as the campfire they sat around.

"Asshole," Lu muttered under her breath.

"Go to hell," Chung replied.

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 **A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Exian, and taee for tje edits. Im drubk. Leave me commwnts wjat u think of lu. I like her**


	14. Chapter 13: Suddenly

And then Chung flew over to Sander where Eve was, saved her from her code corruption and had lots of babies with her.

The End.

Also Aisha came back to life and Elsword's happy now.

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 **A/N: Thank you everyone for following me through this sequel. I hope you enjoyed the story and look forward to the third part of the ten part series coming next month.**


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